“You Can’t Underestimate No Team” – Lamar Jackson Opens Up about Playoffs Loss

Lamar Jackson had an incredible season in 2019. With 4,328 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns in just two years, the quarterback has already found glory. He is the reigning MVP and recently, even made it to Madden NFL 21’s cover! Despite all these amazing achievements of his, there’s one thing he still hasn’t done – win a playoff game.

Lamar Jackson on facing the Titans in Playoffs

Lamar recently appeared on Complex’s “Load Management” Podcast. He spoke about a lot of things right from dealing with his haters to whether he’s better than Michael Vick. He also talked about how the Baltimore Ravens underestimated the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs earlier this year.

“We’re taking it one game at a time, not peeking ahead. That’s what happened in the playoffs, and we end up losing to the team people had us favored over. It’s any given Sunday. You can’t underestimate no team, no opponent, and that’s what we did.”

The Ravens lost to the Titans 28-12 in the AFC Divisional Round. This happened despite the Ravens looking to be in a much better position to win than the Titans did. The Ravens had a phenomenal 14-2 season to the Titans’ 9-7 in 2019. But Tennessee still clinched a Wild Card victory against the New England Patriots and went on to defeat the Ravens as well. It was the first time the Titans won two playoff games in the same season since 1999.

Reactions to the Ravens underestimating the Titans

Analyst Max Kellerman believes Lamar Jackson and the Ravens can win in the playoffs and head to a Super Bowl. Jackson is very young and “

a very accurate passer.” But he has admitted to “psychology affecting the Ravens’ play” in the past. “When he said they looked past the Titans, he said, you know, we have to learn not to peek ahead. That means that the circumstances… the psychological effects of the play, actually affected how they played on the field,” Kellerman said. However, he is able to learn and adapt quickly.

Kellerman believes that in his first playoff appearance, Jackson was “like the worst thing you ever saw… [but] by the end of that game, he was a different player already.” He may have been better against the Titans, but “he wasn’t as good as he normally was.”

Stephen A. Smith, however, isn’t very concerned about Lamar’s playoff performance because he is “electrifying in terms of his running ability and his playmaking ability.” He believes that Jackson may have some work to do, “but he is known as an elite athlete and an elite runner with the football and an absolutely positive game-changer… If the Baltimore Ravens struggle, I don’t think it’ll be because of him.”

Dan Orlovsky added that while everyone loves watching Lamar in the regular season, it’s about time we see him perform in the post-season too. The Ravens didn’t lose to Tennessee because of Jackson. “They lost that playoff game because of all the people and pieces around Lamar Jackson.”

Even legendary quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning or Drew Brees didn’t win their first playoffs for a while after starting out. So, there isn’t much to worry about Lamar’s performance in the playoffs, so far. He seems to be heading in the right direction with his stellar performances and proper attitude.