Lamar Jackson showed true leadership consoling Mark Andrews after Ravens playoff loss

Earlier this season on a Sunday night at Baltimore, John Harbaugh’s club made easy work of the Buffalo Bills, 35-10. This past Sunday at Orchard Park, the reigning AFC East champions returned the favor in a thrilling 27-25 victory over the Ravens.

Much has been made about Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson and his postseason performances. The criticism is certainly warranted. The seven-year pro and two-time NFL MVP has put up some impressive regular-season numbers, only to wilt a bit come the playoffs.

Entering this postseason, Jackson spoke about being “too amped up” come playoff time.

“Yes, I’m (usually) just too excited—that’s all. (I’m) too antsy, that’s all. I’m seeing things before it happens, like, ‘Oh, I have to calm myself down.’ But just being more experienced, I’ve found a way to balance it out.

“You have to try to be mistake-free. The game is won with the turnover battle and keeping the ball in your control—moving the ball down the field, getting first downs, putting points on the board, obviously. That’s how you win those games.”

In Sunday’s two-point setback, Jackson and the Ravens trailed 21-10 at intermission. The electrifying quarterback was six-of-10 for 123 yards and a touchdown pass, and also ran five times for 31 yards. He also served up one interception, and his second-quarter fumble set up Buffalo’s second touchdown. All told, Jackson has committed 11 turnovers in eight playoff appearances.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were a bit off the mark

Baltimore’s standout signal-caller was a big part of his team’s second-half comeback attempt. Still, the Ravens came up short on the scoreboard, and the attention turned to tight end Mark Andrews. He would lead the team with five catches on the afternoon. Following one reception in the fourth quarter, he was stripped of the ball and the Bills recovered. It set up a field goal that put Buffalo ahead, 27-19.

Jackson would drive his team 88 yards in eight plays, and his 24-yard TD pass to tight end Isaiah Likely with 1:33 to play narrowed the gap to two points. Andrews had the game-tying two-point conversion attempt in his hands, but couldn’t secure the ball.

For some, the blame for this latest Ravens’ postseason setback went from the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, to the three-time Pro Bowl tight end. That is, unless you are teammate Lamar Jackson.

Over these past seven seasons, John Harbaugh’s Ravens are a combined 3-6 in the playoffs. That includes home losses in 2019 (Titans) and 2023 (Chiefs) when Baltimore was the AFC’s top seed, as well as a 2022 loss at Cincinnati when Tyler Huntley was the Ravens’ starting quarterback. The team has committed a total of 16 turnovers in those nine contests, and played turnover-free football just twice. A little food for thought.