Despite $100M Gap, Lamar Jackson’s Fate More Serious Than Dak Prescott, Says Mark Schlereth

“Can Lamar Jackson overcome his playoff demons?” There’s no doubt that Lamar Jackson is an elite QB. However, his 5-year $260 million extension has been raising eyebrows currently because of Super Bowl chokes, especially when compared to Dak Prescott, who is $100 million behind the Baltimore Ravens signal caller. The hosts of The Stinkin Truth Podcast with Mark Schlereth talked about what many people don’t register about the Baltimore Ravens QB and it’s somewhat alarming.

Per Schlereth, this season is “Super Bowl or bust” for Lamar Jackson and the writing is on the wall. Jackson is 2-4 in his playoff career and it’s somehow a cause of concern for the Baltimore Ravens. Just like Dak Prescott, Jackson “has nothing to prove in the regular season but everything to prove in the postseason.” Mike Evans on the show raised a relevant concern about Lamar Jackson going into the 2024 season. “Is it a stretch for me to say that the two players with the most pressure on them this season are Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson?” asked Evans.

This question holds a lot of weight and Schlereth for one agrees that there’s more pressure on Lamar Jackson this year than Dak Prescott and his $260 million contract might have something to do with it. Prescott is in the last year of his contract but still makes $100 million less than the Baltimore QB. The matter of money favoring the Ravens star could be because of his better-looking resume which shows 2 MVPs and a 2-4 playoff record in the last 6 seasons he’s played with the Ravens. However, it is this high standard that might make matters tough for the Ravens signal caller.

Apart from that, Lamar Jackson is also ahead of Dak Prescott as he has been successful in reaching the divisional Championship game. Ever since Prescott has been at the helm, the Dallas Cowboys have never progressed past the NFC Wild Card Round. And while we’re at it, a small gander at last year’s stats won’t hurt.

Jackson had 3,678 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns last year. Though his passing numbers look ordinary on paper, Jackson led the league with 821 rushing yards last year. But Prescott isn’t someone that can be easily sidelined. The Dallas QB led the league in passing touchdowns last year (36) and recorded 4,516 passing yards last year. There’s caliber in both QBs for sure, but to get rid of the tag of “playoff chokers,” there would be a few changes required in the sides.

In a similar line of sight, Prescott is 2-5 in the playoffs in his 8-season career, without any MVPs, but a benefit of the doubt that can be given to Prescott this year is that it is his contract year. While less experienced QBs have become the highest paid in the league, like Trevor Lawrence, Prescott’s modest contract may be a blessing in disguise because it’s not as extravagant. Though Jacksonville Jaguars might have strategic reasons to pay Trevor Lawrence, the QB contract inflation that’s happening the the league right now will blur the line between who’s good and who’s the best.

After all, for a lot of people, being the highest paid often creates a narrative that a particular player is the best, which is often not the case. As far as Dak Prescott is concerned, if he doesn’t get a renewed deal, he’ll have to find a new home, which means he will have to start from scratch all over again.

On the other hand, the Ravens had one major concern and it reflected in the loss of the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Their running backs had a total of 6 receptions, which is nearly not enough. Lamar Jackson might have taken it upon himself to run that ball, but it somehow hampers the team’s performance overall. Schlereth took issue with this saying, “Lost in the AFC Championship game last year against Kansas City, put up what 10 points? Kansas City scored 17 points and they [Ravens] lost,” about the game that happened in Baltimore’s home turf.

One of the reasons behind his thought process is the misutilization of the offensive roster, as mentioned earlier. Now, Lamar Jackson has a “chip on his shoulder,” while Dak Prescott is just “focused on football” in the absence of a new contract. But if there’s one more thing that’s a necessary link to Jackson’s potential improvement, it is the Ravens coaching staff.

Is it looking bad for John Harbaugh now?

Despite being a 2x MVP, Jackson hasn’t been to an SB game ever. And being the best in the NFL only calls for one thing and that is being a champion. John Harbaugh hasn’t seen a championship since Super Bowl XLVII in the 2012 season. Amidst the scenes of the Ravens discussion, Mark Schlereth’s words were a clear message to Lamar Jackson, trying to point out the urgency that he had to see in this situation.

“Hey man, think about this. John Harbaugh has been there now 16 years. He’s the second longest tenured coach behind Mike Tomlin. They’ve been in the playoffs 11 of those 16 years. They’ve got one Super Bowl win which was like in early in his [Harbaugh’s] career with Baltimore. But yeah, this is Super Bowl or bust for Lamar Jackson.”

However, it’s not all that bad considering that the Ravens have just played one season with Todd Monken as their OC and some things get better with time. Jackson was in the AFC Championship game with Monken being a new coach in Baltimore, with a little hope, that things might be better this season. But disappointing memories about the Chiefs beating the Ravens might be haunting Harbaugh and his staff in hindsight. Despite being a rush-heavy offense regarded as no. 1 in the NFL, the Ravens chose to rush the ball just 16 times for the whole game, out of which Lamar Jackson accounted for 8.

Also, here’s another kicker. Everyone was frustrated about the vague answer that came from Harbaugh after losing the game. In an unsatisfactory attempt to explain the performance, the HC said, “It was that type of game.” Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner spoke about what the Ravens fans had in their heart. Though his words were just stats, they complete the picture that shows how exactly the Ravens failed. “The NFL’s best-rushing offense finished with 11 carries total against one of the NFL’s worst rushing defenses,” posted Shaffer on X.

There’s obviously an improvement in Jackson’s performance and Todd Monken’s offensive play calling was one of the reasons behind it. It’s also noticeable that the Ravens didn’t use Gus Edwards a lot last in the Chiefs game. Maybe, that’s because Jackson has been scrambling for yards throughout the season and he ended up topping the QB rushing leaderboard in the last season, which brings us to our next question.

Are these failed tactics against the Chiefs the only reason that the Ravens hired Derrick Henry? Likely so, but that’s not the complete picture. With a build like Henry’s and his running back prowess, Lamar Jackson can just focus on throwing the ball now.

There’s new hope from the Baltimore team as they gear up for the 2024 season. Their first challenge: go against the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener and set the record straight. Will Lamar Jackson be dubbed as a playoff “choker” like Prescott if things don’t work out this season? Do you think Lamar Jackson should treat this season as “Super Bowl or bust?” Let us know below.