Lamar Jackson didn’t hold back when talking about the Chiefs.
The last time Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson played a significant game, he lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game last January.
As Jackson prepares for the 2024 NFL regular season opener against the Chiefs on Sept. 5, he’s not placing extra emphasis on this rematch.
“I really don’t care who we play; it really didn’t matter,” Jackson said, according to a transcript from the team (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). “At the end of the day, our goal is to make it to the Super Bowl.”
Jackson emphasized that beating the Chiefs in the regular season is less important than defeating them in the playoffs.
“We lost to them in the playoffs. Just us beating them in the regular season doesn’t really do anything,” Jackson explained. “It just helps us keep stacking up wins to hopefully make it to the playoffs, to get in that same position again, and hopefully be successful. It really doesn’t matter who we play [in the] first game; obviously it’s the Chiefs, but I really didn’t care.”
In the AFC Championship Game loss, Jackson completed 20 of 37 passes for 272 yards, threw one touchdown and one interception, and rushed eight times for 54 yards.
Can Lamar Jackson and the Ravens finally overcome their playoff struggles?
Despite consistently being a strong contender, the Ravens have struggled to break through to the Super Bowl. Baltimore finished with the best record in the NFL last season, the second time they have done so since Jackson became the starting quarterback in 2018. However, they fell short in the postseason once again.
Their appearance in the AFC Championship Game was the deepest playoff run in the Jackson era, but the Ravens aim higher—they want a Super Bowl victory.
Jackson has a 2-4 record in playoff games, with six passing touchdowns and six interceptions. While not all the blame falls on him, as the Ravens have lacked elite offensive weapons, at some point, Jackson and his team need to deliver in the playoffs.
Will 2024 be the year the Ravens break through? It won’t be easy.
Baltimore faces tough competition, not only from Kansas City but also within their own division. The Ravens will contend with the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers, all of whom finished over .500 last season, with the Browns and Steelers making the playoffs.
Additionally, the AFC features strong teams like the Houston Texans, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins.
The path to the Super Bowl will be challenging for Baltimore, but Jackson now has two MVP awards, having won the honor again this past year. It’s time for him to prove himself in the postseason.
Leave a Reply