Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens came away with a thrilling 35-34 win against the Cincinnati Bengals on “Thursday Night Football.”
Jackson, as has been the story of the season, once again came to the rescue of the Ravens’ defense. He is the clear-cut favorite to win the MVP award this year, but former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings does not have faith in the Ravens to get the job done in the postseason.
Greg Jennings Has Major Concerns About Lamar Jackson, Ravens
In a recent segment on “First Things First,” Jennings pointed out that Jackson cannot continue to save the Ravens in high-scoring games. He believes the game will slow down in the playoffs, and based on his past failures, the Ravens quarterback will have a lot of difficulty in coming through if his team’s defense continues to get exploited.
“I think he [Jackson] can keep saving them in the regular season. I don’t think he can save them in the postseason because the game just changes,” Jennings said. “The competition obviously is a lot better, and you’re going to get a more locked-in, detailed, executing team across the sideline.
“So, for me, like, what Lamar is doing, I think it’s been impressive, and he’s always typically been bailed out because of the defense, and so now it’s his turn, and he’s been living up to the bill. Like, I love everything that he’s doing. I don’t think he can sustain this in the postseason because the games just are different. There’s so much more pressure.”
“He can keep saving them in the regular season. I don’t think he can save them in the postseason.”@GregJennings on Lamar Jackson pic.twitter.com/KJ6APBdXg7
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) November 8, 2024
Jackson has a record of 2-4 in the playoffs. In those six games, he has completed only 57.4% of his throws, which is quite less than his regular season career average of 65.0%. His playoff passer rating is 75.7, which is also way below his career rating of 101.0. So far, Jackson has proven to be a legendary regular-season quarterback who has often come up short in the playoffs.
This season, the Ravens have the worst passing defense in the league, allowing an average of 294.9 yards per game. Given his postseason history, it’s hard to believe that Jackson can lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl this season if his team continues to get into high-scoring affairs.
Jackson Continues To Build His Case for Hall of Fame
Jackson currently has as many MVPs as playoff wins. He is well on his way to winning the third MVP award of his career as, statically, the Ravens star has been the best quarterback in the league.
In 10 games, he has thrown for 2,669 yards, 24 touchdowns, and two interceptions, completing 69.1% of his throws with a passer rating of 123.2. Jackson has also rushed for 538 yards and two touchdowns on 91 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
Winning a third MVP award in his first seven seasons in the league will be a huge accomplishment for Jackson, but he will get his respect only when he translates his regular season dominance into the playoffs. Until he does that, people around the world will continue to overlook the Ravens.
Many believe Jackson has already cemented his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only thing left for him to accomplish is winning a Super Bowl, and once he does that, the 27-year-old quarterback may be regarded among the top 10 quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.