Ravens Players 'Laugh' at Lamar Jackson Criticism, Not Worried About Past Setbacks

Baltimore QB is 0-2 in the postseason.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens players and coaches have been peppered with questions this week about quarterback Lamar Jackson's psyche heading into his third career playoff game.

Jackson is still looking for his first postseason victory, but he's not being affected by the pressure, according to his teammates.  

Baltimore faces a tough Titans in the wild-card game on Jan. 10. Tennessee has beaten Jackson and thre Ravens two consecutive times, including a stunning upset in last year's postseason. 

"He’s a different type of guy. His mindset, the way he thinks, that’s not something that’s going to weigh him down or really affect the way he plays this game," Andrews said about Jackson. "He’s got big goals – we all do – we’re all excited for this game. He’s got a lot of teammates to help him out, and we’re just excited for this game. Those two games and years past, they don’t matter to us right now. This is a different team, with a different mindset, and we’re ready to go.”

In the 2018 season, the Ravens lost to the Chargers 23-17 at M&T Bank Stadium. Last season, top-seeded Baltimore was upset by Tennessee 28-12.

Over those two playoff games, Jackson has completed 45 of 88 pass attempts (51.1%) for 559 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. (68.3 rating). He has also run 29 times for 197 yards and 13 first downs (6.8 ypc).

Baltimore cornerback Marcus Peters scoffed at the criticism surround Jackson's disappointments in the playoffs.

“I just laugh at it. They try to criticize him, and then they also compare him to the greats who … Like, Peyton Manning didn’t win a playoff game [at first]; he was 0-3 at first," Peters said. "So, things like that. But my whole thing is just watch the young man grow, watch the young man continue to lead this team, continue to lead this offense and be the wonderful person that he is off the field. How he holds and carries himself in a day-to-day manner, it’s out of this world.

"You can’t be Lamar Jackson and hold yourself to that standard like he does. Every time that he may have a bad game, he holds up, he stands on his 10 toes, and he owns up to everything, and he comes back the next week ready to work. So, you’ve got to appreciate those things.”

Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said the team is not worried about the setbacks in the past two postseason games. The focus is on beating Tennessee and moving onto the next round. 

“We want to win, period. We want to win, and when you get to the playoffs, it’s all about winning," Roman said. "Nobody really cares about the stats too much. All they remember is who moved on to the next round, so that’s what it’s all about. Every team in these playoffs is a really good team. If you want to win the ultimate prize, you’re going to have to beat them all. 

"Every week you’re going to have to beat a good team. So, it doesn’t matter, really, for us or anybody, really. It’s about going out and playing your best football in January and February and getting ‘W’s’.”