The Ravens Need Lamar Jackson More Than Ever After Playoff Loss
The Baltimore Ravens came up short in their Wild Card playoff weekend bout against the Cincinnati Bengals losing 17-24. The Ravens’ defense did a superb job in limiting Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and his high-powered offense. The injuries piled up on the Bengals‘ offensive line and the Ravens’ defense did its best to take advantage. The Ravens’ offense however could not capitalize and made some errors that eventually cost them the game.
The most crucial error came from the Ravens quarterback, Tyler Huntley, who filled in for the injured Lamar Jackson.
Forced fumble on Tyler Huntley at the goal line completely turns this game on its head! pic.twitter.com/SFhIJi3XDf
— Elite Picks (@ElitePicks_DFS) January 16, 2023
Huntley finished the night completing 17 passes on 29 attempts for 226 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and a fumble. Huntley’s goal-line fumble canceled out the momentum the Ravens offense had been building towards and gave the Bengals the lead.
While Lamar Jackson is still injured and would not have been able to start Sunday night it is very clear he was the missing ingredient. Huntley is also a mobile quarterback but not many can replicate Jackson. His speed, evasiveness, and overall strength make him difficult to tackle and his style haunts opposing defenses. It’s not far-fetched to say that the Ravens would have won last night if Jackson had played. Some of his teammates had similar feelings.
Ravens’ RB J.K. Dobbins didn't hold back on how much Lamar Jackson’s absence meant to the team during Sunday night’s wild card loss to the Bengals, telling reporters: “If we'd have had Lamar, we'd have won too.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 16, 2023
NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport reported that the Ravens expect to franchise tag Jackson if they cannot work out a long-term deal. Jackson has been transparent that he wants a long-term deal but unfortunately, without representation, the process has been difficult. It doesn’t help the Ravens that fellow AFC North quarterback Deshaun Watson received an unprecedented fully guaranteed contract earlier in the year that completely reset the quarterback market.
The Ravens don’t seem interested in paying Jackson that type of money but Jackson has all the leverage in this situation. The Ravens’ offense is based around a dynamic figure such as Jackson and unlucky for them he is the only available quarterback that can fit this scheme.
There could be a strong market for Jackson if he becomes a free agent which only puts more bargaining chips in Jackson’s favor. The fact of the matter is this playoff loss showed the NFL world that the Ravens need Lamar Jackson more than Lamar Jackson needs the Ravens.