“The loss has put a little chip on our shoulder.” Lamar Jackson said this after his Baltimore Ravens hosted their first-ever AFC Championship Game, which went awry. The Purple team struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 season. Recent reports now suggest that it’s not just a minor chip; instead, it’s more of a quest for revenge.

As Jackson himself is “angry about losing,” many analysts too are not behind in expressing their frustration with the quarterback’s performance, especially in the playoffs. On July 3, Mark Schlereth ripped into the quarterback for not developing his players and building chemistry with them on his The Stink Truth Podcast. Bringing the debate in another show, First Things First, sports analyst Chris Broussard, expressed his disagreement with it.

Broussard said, “I don’t think we showed this part but [Schlereth in] Stink said you know he [Lamar Jackson] wets the bed or something to that effect in the playoffs that’s what I disagree, yeah I disagree with that part. I don’t think he’s wetting the bed” or choking under pressure. The analyst said that Jackson, particularly earlier in his career, has not been a great passer, and “that has hurt him in the playoffs.” Additionally, Broussard concedes that last year, the player may have failed to capitalize on opportunities, deviating from his strengths. He also drew a parallel to Peyton Manning, who faced similar criticism until he won a Super Bowl, suggesting, “Until he [Jackson] wins the Super Bowl, this criticism is going to be leveled at him.”

Chiming into the debate, Nick Wright discussed Jackson’s playoff struggles, comparing him to other QBs like Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes. He pointed out that, having had bad playoff games sometimes, Jackson’s team consistently choked in the playoffs, scoring their fewest points of the season in their playoff losses. The analyst further emphasized that in all four of Jackson’s career playoff losses, the Ravens averaged only 10.5 points per game. Additionally, in four out of Jackson’s six career playoff games, the Ravens never held a lead.

Wright also drew a parallel to the NBA’s James Harden, suggesting, “Every year, the Ravens’ fewest points that season are in their playoff loss. There’s an element of Rockets James Harden for Lamar.” He highlighted Jackson has a reputation for underperforming in critical playoff moments until he can prove otherwise.

What’s exactly behind Lamar Jackson’s historic playoff losses?

According to StatMuse, Lamar Jackson is 2-4 when it comes to his playoff record with the Ravens. Arguably, it is poor and not expected from a QB like him. The 2023 season was supposed to be the year to change this record. However, he failed again! So, what’s behind his lousy playoff scene? Jackson has struggled to win from the pocket when it matters most, despite improving each season. In playoff games, he performs poorly under pressure, with a league-worst completion rate of 27% since 2018.

According to his 2022 stats, cited by CBS Sports, his off-target rate under pressure jumped from 15% in the regular season to 32% in the playoffs. As per journalist Douglas Clawson, defenses have also opted by blitzing less and using more zone coverage to contain him, and he hasn’t been able to counter this effectively. He has missed open receivers, held the ball too long, and taken more sacks (6.5). His supporting cast hasn’t helped either, adding to the scrutiny on Baltimore’s franchise quarterback.

Hence, to uplift his status from the ‘playoff loser’ title, Jackson needs to address his mistakes. Otherwise, he would continue to admit fault just with words, as he did in 2023: “We fell short. The offense, we didn’t put nothing on the board. We scored once. That’s not like us. I’m not frustrated, I’m angry because I know how hard we worked to get here.”