Pundit Says Lamar Jackson Can Bust Another Narrative Before It Even Begins
Lamar Jackson has slayed so many narratives throughout his NFL career that it's easy to lose count.
Press Box’s Glenn Clark noted that Jackson erased two more narratives in Saturday's 28-14 Wild-Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and can bust another before it even begins.
The first was more of a team narrative. It was the notion that the Steelers "had the Ravens' number." Pittsburgh had won eight of the 10 previous games in the series, with Jackson going 2-4.
"That's done now," Clark wrote. "The Ravens had been the better team during the stretch. The series record was not an accurate reflection of anything. Two decisive wins — the first with the division title hanging in the balance and the second in the playoffs — have flipped the script."
The second busted narrative was that Jackson "isn't the same guy in the playoffs."
"That goose is also cooked," Clark wrote. "Jackson has now posted a 2-1 record in his last three playoff games. In that stretch he has completed 65 percent of his passes, piled up 834 yards of total offense to go along with seven total touchdowns and just one interception (and one lost fumble). He hasn't gone 'one and done' in the postseason since before the pandemic. … The reality is that, like many before him, Jackson was being overly judged on results from very early in his career (and at a dramatically young age) and untimely injuries robbed him of additional changes to change the narrative.
"Lamar Jackson very much met the almost impossible standard of 'being Lamar Jackson' in his first playoff game this year. He was brilliant against the Steelers. If only football had adopted a common stat that judges quarterback's decision-making on zone reads as well because it feels like his 132.0 quarterback rating still doesn't fully do the performance justice."
Sunday's showdown with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round game provides Jackson an opportunity to preemptively quell his critics on another matter, Clark said.
"Josh Allen doesn't have any sort of upper hand over Jackson at this point in their careers," Clark wrote. "But if the Ravens lose, even if Jackson plays brilliantly, it will be all too easy to create a more specific narrative that points out how the potential three-time MVP will then be 0-3 all-time in playoff games against Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
"Instead, Jackson could bust that particular narrative before it even begins."
John Harbaugh, Todd Monken Lauded for Ravens' Performance Against Steelers
Pundits are giving Head Coach John Harbaugh and Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken their flowers for the Ravens' dominant victory over the Steelers.
The Athletic's Ted Nguyen credited Monken for outwitting Pittsburgh's defense.
"When the Ravens are in shotgun, Jackson has the option to keep the ball, and defenses must pick their poison," Nguyen wrote. "There are games the defense has to play with the offense to try to even out the numerical problem of the quarterback keeping the ball. You have to have answers, and the Steelers should know that by now. They've tried methods for stopping the option for years, but this week, they went to one of the oldest in the book — the scrape exchange — and repeated it the whole game. Monken and the Ravens were ready.
"A scrape exchange is essentially a swapping of responsibilities between the defensive end and linebacker on the side to which the running back is offset. … The Ravens added a blocker to the backside to block the scraping linebacker, and the Steelers' response was to bring down a safety to replace him. That sounds fine in theory, but the problem was Jackson was already 4 yards downfield when the replacement player got there, and Jackson is hard to tackle in space. ... Defending NFL offenses is hard enough, but when they know exactly what you are doing, you're playing the game on the highest difficulty level."
FS1's Emmanuel Acho illustrated the Ravens' destruction of the Steelers' exchanges, calling the Ravens' scheme "ridiculous."
Ravens Wire’s Larry Brown Jr. praised Harbaugh for getting his players in the proper mindset for the game.
"Focus, execution, and pure resilience are being infused into the team locker room, thanks to Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh," Brown wrote. "From the first quarter onward, the Ravens seemed determined not to let the Steelers steal the momentum at home in the AFC Wild Card.
"A poised, postured, and professional demeanor is pulsating throughout the Ravens locker room right now, and Harbaugh is at the heart of this late-season surge."
Kyle Van Noy Says Ravens Felt Disrespected When Steelers Didn't Defer
When the Steelers elected to take the ball after winning the coin toss on Saturday, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy took it personally.
"I felt a little disrespected right off the bat," Van Noy said on Yahoo! Sports’ “McCoy & Van Noy” podcast. "They won the toss and they didn't defer. They said we want the ball. They were like, 'We're ready to go.' The first thing I thought when it happened was: desperate. That's when I was like, 'Oh, we won.' Desperation. Not going with what they always go with – playing with their defense, that's what they're built on.
"Being on the sideline, I was like, 'Oh, man, this is disrespectful.' Taking the ball first? We were all kind of pissed off about that."
The Steelers punted after gaining 19 yards on eight plays on their opening drive. The Ravens limited Pittsburgh to 59 yards and two first downs in the first half.
Brian Baldinger Says Ravens 'Really Got Their Guys in Place' on Offensive Line
Jackson and running back Derrick Henry are always quick to credit their offensive line any time the two dynamic players have been asked about their outstanding individual performances this season.
NFL Network's Brian Baldinger said Baltimore's O-line, which has featured three new starters this season, presents a stiff challenge for Buffalo's defensive line.
"The challenge is not just stopping Henry, but the combination of Lamar and Derrick Henry in unison," Baldinger said. "That seems to be the challenge for every team that has to play against them, and now the Ravens' offensive line is really settled with the rookie [Roger] Rosengarten at right tackle, [right guard Daniel] Faalele, [center Tyler] Linderbaum. They've really got their guys in place.
"I think the bigger challenge right now is Buffalo's defense trying to slow down the juggernaut that is the Ravens' rushing attack."
Baldinger didn't mention the two other starters on the offensive line, left tackle Ronnie Stanley and left guard Patrick Mekari, but both have also played integral roles in the unit's success.
PFF Names Ole Miss CB the Best Potential First-Round Pick for Ravens
Pro Football Focus’ Jordan Plocher and Josh Liskiewitz identified the best potential pick in the first round for every team. For the Ravens, it's Mississippi cornerback Trey Amos.
"The Ravens addressed cornerback twice in last year's draft by selecting Nate Wiggins in the first round and TJ Tampa in the fourth," Plocher and Liskiewitz wrote. "While Tampa has seen only 18 snaps thus far, Wiggins has put together an encouraging rookie campaign, culminating in a pick-six against the Browns in Week 18. With this being said, star Marlon Humphrey's cap number next season is north of 25 million, and Brandon Stephens (66 catches, 822 yards and four TDs allowed in 2024) will enter free agency in March.
"Ole Miss CB Trey Amos would be a fine addition to the Ravens secondary. Baltimore loves height and length in their corners, and at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Amos checks those boxes. He was challenged 68 times in 2024 but allowed just 33 receptions for 289 yards while notching three interceptions and an impressive 15 forced incompletions."
