Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is a target of criticism during yet another winter regarding his lackluster postseason record coming off his club’s 27-25 divisional-round playoff loss at the Buffalo Bills this past Sunday.
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta commented on his belief that Jackson is the right offensive CEO to lead the team beyond an AFC Championship Game.
“I can say there’s no player I’d rather have on my team than Lamar Jackson,” DeCosta said, as shared by Giana Han and Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner. “I think he’s the best quarterback in the league.”
The Ravens signed Jackson to a five-year contract reportedly worth up to $260M with $185M guaranteed in the spring of 2023, and he subsequently became a two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Award winner. On Wednesday, the Professional Football Writers of America revealed that the organization’s members had voted Jackson as the MVP for the 2024 campaign.
According to the StatMuse website, Jackson and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals finished this past regular season tied for the league lead in combined passing and rushing touchdowns (45). Per Pro Football Reference, Jackson and Bills starter Josh Allen ended Week 18 tied for first among qualified players with a 77.3 adjusted QBR. Jackson was also second in the NFL with 5,087 combined passing and rushing yards.
With all that said, Jackson tossed an awful interception and was responsible for a costly fumble in the first half of the defeat against Buffalo that dropped his postseason record as a starter to 3-5. According to StatMuse, no player has committed more playoff turnovers than Jackson (11) since 2018. Additionally, he has just one AFC Championship Game appearance and no Super Bowl trips on his career resume.
Despite all of that, DeCosta suggested on Wednesday he believes Jackson, who turned 28 years old earlier this month, is still improving as an overall player.
“…From what I’ve seen with Lamar, he’s just grown so much — even just over the last couple of years, in terms of his game as a player, as a leader [and] as a person. I love talking to him,” DeCosta added, as noted by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “We communicate all the time. And as I said, I’m blessed to be with him for the last seven years.”
As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Ravens tied for second among the betting favorites at +650 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. Such predictions likely won’t help Jackson get over all that went wrong for the Ravens during what became their final game of this season anytime soon.
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