Baltimore, QB Lamar Jackson led the Baltimore Ravens with more than just his legs and arm in Saturday’s 34-10 divisional playoff victory against the Houston Texans. The favourite for NFL MVP used some four-letter words to do this.
Jackson took aim with his faltering offence in the locker room after Baltimore scored ten points in the first half. What was the outcome? After halftime, the Ravens scored 24 points and gained 234 yards, securing their spot as the first host of the AFC Championship Game in their 28-year existence.
Nelson Agholor, a wide receiver with the Ravens, said of Jackson, “There’s something in him right now.” “I’ve been with him for the whole year, but just now, I truly feel something in him. I agree with it.
On January 28, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills winners will take on the Ravens.
However, in the first two quarters of Saturday’s game, Baltimore looked more like those former Ravens teams who had poor starts with Jackson in the playoffs than like the AFC’s top seed. With three consecutive three-and-outs at the conclusion of the first half and just 23 net passing yards overall—their fewest in any half of the season—the Ravens struggled against Houston’s blitzes.
Jackson was furious that the Ravens’ offence was falling short of expectations while their defence was in complete control.
When asked who spoke the most during the interval, Jackson said, “Me. plenty of swearing.
What was it that he said?
“To say it right now would be inappropriate,” Jackson shot back.
The Ravens made several offensive tweaks centred on making passes more quickly and not moving the ball downfield as much. After feeling pressure on 61% of his dropbacks in the first half, Jackson was only under pressure once on 11 dropbacks in the second half (and was not fired).
Coach John Harbaugh of the Ravens said, “Lamar did a great job.” “He also thought a great deal about it. He was well aware of what we thought we should have done in the second half.”
For Jackson, who entered Saturday with a 1-3 playoff record and had not scored more than 20 points in any of those games, this playoff is crucial. In response, Jackson scored four touchdowns against the Texans, matching the total number of touchdowns he had scored in his previous four postseason games combined.
Jackson ran for 100 yards and completed 16 of 22 throws for 152 yards, making an impact with both his legs and his arm. In the same playoff game, he became the sixth person in NFL history to score two touchdown passes and two running touchdowns.
In the second quarter, Jackson found tight end Isaiah Likely for a 3-yard touchdown throw, and then in the fourth, Jackson found tight end Likely for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Additionally, the signal-caller sprinted for gains of 8 and 15 yards.
Ronnie Stanley, an offensive lineman with the Ravens, described Jackson as “a very competitive player.” He’ll say a lot of things and put his heart on his sleeve. However, we all know what he wants, and I am aware of what he is attempting to achieve, and that is simply victory.”
All season long, teammates have discussed how Jackson’s rhetoric of winning a Super Bowl has been on repeat. They have observed that Jackson has been more outspoken after agreeing to a $260 million, five-year deal in April.
Now that Jackson has won his first playoff game at home, he has progressed to his first AFC Championship game and is only one win away from the Super Bowl.
Jackson’s hunger is a result, according to Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen. “You can tell by looking into his eyes, hearing the way he speaks, and observing his current behaviour. He wants to demonstrate that he has a lot to show.”
