Since Lamar Jackson joined the Baltimore Ravens as their No. 32 overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, there’s no denying his talent. The same can be said about his franchise, as the Ravens have won at least 10 games in six of Jackson’s seven seasons.
ESPN’s Booger McFarland took the Ravens’ “best players” to task when breaking down the franchise.
“The bottom line is this: When you get in these playoff games, you have to play your best,” said McFarland. “It’s amazing how Baltimore’s best players continue to come up the smallest in the biggest games.”
“I don’t know whether that’s mindset or whether these players are putting too much on it. … It’s not just a player thing. It’s a coaching thing also.
“How come this organization can’t just say, ‘You know what? I get it’s the playoffs, but let’s go out and continue to play football the way we’ve played all year.’ It’s almost as if they put too much emphasis on the playoffs and it gets into the entire organization’s head–not just the players, but the coaches also.”
Baltimore had 11 Pro Bowlers and six All-Pros last season. The Ravens finished 12-5 and earned the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Unfortunately, the narrative about the Ravens’ struggles in the postseason reared its ugly head as Baltimore lost to the Buffalo Bills, 27-25, in the divisional round after a 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card.
Despite their perennial regular-season success and Jackson’s ascent as one of the game’s best quarterbacks, the Ravens haven’t advanced past the AFC Championship since 2012, when they won Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers.
