Ray Lewis, Ravens See Something 'Different' in Lamar Jackson in Return to Playoffs

Baltimore Ravens of the past and present see a renewed confidence in Lamar Jackson as his return to the playoffs looms.

All the yardage in the world can't replace a single piece of silver.

Lamar Jackson is the headliner of this current decade of Baltimore Ravens football, the star attraction as the team inches closer to its third decade in Charm City. The first two each produced a Super Bowl, the treks highlighted by the antics of Ray Lewis, the sole staple from the two title runs in 2000 and 2012.

In other words, few are better-versed in the art of Chesapeake championships than Lewis, who believes that Jackson is ready for his own Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist.

"I'm putting all my chips on 8," Lewis said, referencing Jackson's jersey number, in a lengthy feature from Jamison Hensley of ESPN. "I'm watching his maturity, I'm watching his patience in the pocket."

"But I'll also tell you: 8 has a different look in his eye." 

That should terrify anyone whose sole grievance against Jackson is his lack of postseason success. Jackson has been the headliner 

Ravens fans require little reminder of Jackson's lack of playoff prowess to date, even if an injury before last year's tournament delayed the conversation and extended his playoff drought to over 1,000 days. The wait finally ends on Saturday when the Ravens open Divisional round play against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium.

Past and present Ravens pepper Hensley's report with reminders of Jackson's competitiveness and and poise, all of which come second to his Super Bowl desires.

"He won't be satisfied until we get a Super Bowl," blocker Ronnie Stanley said, "I know what I'm getting in my quarterback."

"Even when we win, he's not happy about the fashion, at times," quarterbacks coach Tee Martin, a champion in his own right with the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers, said. "He knows the capability (of the team), knows how good we can be and how far we can go, and he's not stopping until we get to that point."

Thanks to Jackson's stellar play, the Ravens (13-4) were able to skip one step to get to that point: five aerial touchdowns from Jackson in the penultimate week of the regular season clinched not only a 56-19 shellacking of Miami but also the top seed on the AFC bracket. 

Of course, such a standing will only bring back memories of the 2019 campaign, when the Ravens had the top seed and a bye but lost to the Tennessee Titans, ending a Super Bowl run before it even started. Jackson threw for 365 yards but lost three turnovers in the 28-12 defeat. 

Finishing the job this time around will kill off any lingering doubt about Jackson's status. But one of Jackson's early mentors, Robert Griffin III, believes that the greatest completion of all will silence the greatest naysayer: Jackson himself.

Ravens' Lamar Jackson 'Antsy' Over Return to Playoffs

"I don't think Lamar feels that it's his way to shut the haters up," Griffin, Jackson's former backup quarterback and now an ESPN analyst, said. "I think it's his way to say 'I told you so.' It's more self-validation than it is to rub in the face of his haters."

"Do you want me to play receiver? I told you I was a quarterback. You want to call me a running back? I told you I was a quarterback. You want to say I shouldn't have been drafted in the top 10 or been the first pick, I told you I was going to bring them a Super Bowl."