Pundit Says Lamar Jackson Is Main Reason Ravens' Super Bowl Window Remains Open
The Ravens came up short in their quest for the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy, which has raised the question of whether their Super Bowl window has closed.
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano addressed the topic in his "Fact or Fiction" column. While acknowledging that it's a fair question, he categorized the suggestion that the Ravens missed their window as "fiction."
"The short response is no, the Ravens didn't miss their Super Bowl window because they have Lamar Jackson, who continues to get better and just turned 28," Manzano wrote. "It's wild to think a two-time MVP can get better, but he's in contention to win the honor for a third time because of his career season as a passer, becoming the first player in NFL history to record at least 4,000 passing yards and 900 rushing yards.
"As long as Jackson is in his prime, the Ravens will always have the Super Bowl window cracked at least slightly open."
Manzano's point about Jackson is well-founded, but the All-Pro quarterback is not the only reason the Ravens figure to remain legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
The Ravens have a roster filled with veteran players in their prime and ascending young players. They also have an outstanding coaching staff led by John Harbaugh and a front office headed by General Manager Eric DeCosta that is regarded as one of the very best in pro sports.
One of the big takeaways from the Ravens' season-ending press conference yesterday was that the organization is planning to bring back the core of the team to make another run at a Super Bowl.
Peter Schrager Praises Harbaugh for 'Riveting' Speech to Team After Playoff Loss
One of the highlights from the season finale of HBO's "Hard Knocks" was the moving speech Harbaugh delivered to the team in its final meeting as a group the day after Sunday's 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.
Harbaugh's message was that the players should hold their heads high and not forget that they had a "hugely successful" season and "accomplished great things."
“The Good Morning Football” crew reacted to the clip.
"I've never seen unfiltered, full-access video of a team the day after they were eliminated from a playoff game and a speech that the coach gave. That was riveting," Peter Schrager said. "I'm watching Lamar and Derrick Henry and the faces in there, and that's a tough pill to swallow, but, gosh, what a leader Harbaugh is, saying, 'We've got to get off the mat.'"
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila added: "This is the therapy that a lot of players need and probably the only therapy some of these players get is being able to hear those last words from their coach right before the exit meetings are extremely difficult. That one you could see was emotional."
Ravens' Lack of Takeaways in Playoffs Is Recurring Theme
There's been much discussion about turnovers playing a critical role in the Ravens' playoff losses in recent years. However, the problem isn't just that the offensive is turning the ball over; it's also that the defense isn't getting takeaways.
The loss in Buffalo was the latest example, as the Bills won the turnover battle, 3-0.
Russell Street Report’s Dev Panchwagh noted that the Ravens defense has a historically low takeaway rate in the playoffs since 2018.
"This version of the Baltimore Ravens hasn't generated more than a single turnover in all of Lamar Jackson's starts and two turnovers overall in eight playoff games (plus one more in the game started by Tyler Huntley) since he became the starter in 2018," Panchwagh wrote. "Two turnovers? That was the per-game under with those defenses in the Joe Flacco era.
"When you dig in even deeper and compare to the teams the Ravens compete against — Bills, Chiefs, Bengals — the lack of turnovers is even more startling."
Panchwagh pointed out that the Ravens defense has done a solid job of containing elite quarterbacks in the playoffs. The unit held MVP candidate Josh Allen of the Bills to 127 yards passing, no passing touchdowns, and 20 yards rushing for two scores on Sunday.
"But turnovers matter if you want that hardware," Panchwagh wrote. "This unit needs to start taking the ball away in order to flip the script."
Rob Gronkowski Says Mark Andrews Can Use Adversity As Fuel
Former All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski shared his thoughts on Mark Andrews and the Ravens tight end's fourth-quarter fumble and dropped two-point conversion against the Bills.
"I love Mark Andrews as a player," Gronkowski said on FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams" show. "I love what he has done for the tight end position. I love what he has done for the Baltimore Ravens. … I'm hoping that Mark Andrews uses this as fuel in the future and comes through the next time his number is called."
Harbaugh said yesterday that he is confident in Andrews' ability to overcome adversity.
"Mark Andrews is a great football player, and he's also a very tough-minded individual," Harbaugh said. "So, yes, he takes it hard because he cares so much. … But if anybody can take a tough circumstance like that and handle it with class and grace and dignity and mental toughness, it's most definitely Mark Andrews."
