The Super Bowl agony continues for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens as they are forced to relive yet another tale of heartbreak that saw them leave the NFL party early. Will their time ever come?
When Lamar Jackson is your quarterback and Lamar Jackson plays, Baltimore's Super Bowl window will never be considered closed. He will likely win his third MVP award after another year of record-setting, career-high and league-leading numbers, but once again his and the Ravens' campaign culminates in playoff disappointment.
It was MVP vs. MVP on Sunday (both deserving of the award) as Jackson and Josh Allen faced off for the right to step up as the AFC Champion Knight tasked with slaying Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs rushing dragon three-peat on behalf of the rest of the NFL.
Two of the best running backs of their generation who have yet to taste triumph who could highlight each other's painful shortcomings at the hands of the Chiefs. Two franchises in the Ravens and Buffalo Bills that were banging on the Super Bowl door only to be drowned in the red sea of Arrowhead. Both need a Super Bowl, both desperately want a Super Bowl.
It would be Allen who prevailed as the Bills held on for a 27-25 victory at the death to reach the AFC Championship Game, playing out the final Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning episode of the modern era. Allen is looking for his first Lombardi lift, and Mahomes is looking for his fourth and third in a row.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the action from the Baltimore Ravens-Buffalo Bills matchup in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs
Jackson was guilty of costly turnovers that night, but he didn't go down without a reminder of his greatness as he blocked a raucous Highmark Stadium to orchestrate a masterful 88-yard drive in the final minutes, capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah. They will likely pull the Ravens within two.
Baltimore looked for all the world like they were going to tie the game on a two-point attempt as Mark Andrews broke free to the right of the end zone, only for the tight end to drop what on any other day looked like a routine catch. Cue Bills ecstasy, cue Ravens regret.
“It's a team effort,” Jackson said after the game. “He was breaking his body down. Making plays on that field for us, it was short. Like I've been saying all season every time we've been in a situation like this, they've lost a factor. The 11 plays a factor.”
“Tonight, the turnovers, I can't have that s***. That's why we lost the game. Because as you can see, we're running the ball very well. Just hold the fuck up. Sorry for my language, this is boring.
The Ravens let it slip through their fingers, literally. It became a nightmare for Andrews, who also lost a fumble when linebacker Terrel Bernard fumbled the ball before returning it himself earlier in the fourth quarter. Baltimore was already short earlier in the game, Andrews' unfortunate header punctuated the period.
“I would say the same thing to any guy like Mark,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “There is no one who has more heart or cares (and) fights more than Mark. We wouldn't be here without Mark Andrews. That's what you tell him.
“So, like anything else, destiny is a decision you make. It's a decision about how you deal with what comes your way in life. Mark will handle it fantastically as always. He's a person of high character, a tough person and a good person, so I'm proud of him, just like I'm proud of all the guys.”
Jackson's self-directed expletives after being intercepted by Taylor Rapp on a pass intended for Rashod Bateman in the first quarter, before he also lost a fumble on a hit by Damar Hamlin, followed by Von Miller's 39-yard fumble recovery that stole Allen's touchdown run from one yard for a 14-7 lead.
It was high-stakes NFL playoff football at its most ruthless and brutal once again.
“We're a team,” Jackson said. “The first half, I had two expensive turnovers. I didn't hold the fuse, I just knew the coverage, I knew it was human. I threw an interception.
“Fumble. Just trying to make something. It was like an RPO play, so I couldn't really throw the ball to (tight end Isaiah) probably. I was trying to make something happen, I was trying to squeeze the ball. It slipped out of my hand, picked up him, got a few yards, I think that got them points.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the action from the Houston Texans' clash with the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs
Jackson finished the regular season with a career-high 4,172 passing yards for 41 touchdowns to just four interceptions with an NFL-best passer rating of 119.6, while also rushing for 915 yards after eclipsing Michael Vick for most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history. Statistically, he was nearly flawless, weaving in famous episodes of off-script mutant genius and convention-shattering throws to ignite the best-laid defensive schemes within one of the league's most formidable two-headed offensive tandems alongside Derrick Henry.
But rightly or wrongly, the familiar questions will arrive. Jackson is now 3-5 in the playoffs and the only guard to win multiple MVP awards while having a postseason record. He is also the only multiple MVP winning quarterback who did not win a Super Bowl ring. He is also only 28 years old.
Sunday always had the risk of sparking uncomfortable quarterback talk surrounding the loser. In the end it came down to which passer and which team committed fewer mistakes, the Bills emerged victorious as they won the turnover battle in a clean performance while managing just 273 yards of offense to Baltimore's 416.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs
Jackson responded admirably to his early turnovers when the Ravens' offense might have completely capitulated in what began as a game about quarterbacks also encountering defining variables elsewhere. Baltimore regressed because of a botched decision to go for a two-point conversion late in the third quarter — which may have eliminated the need for a two-pointer in the final minute to kick the extra point — and so did an offensive game plan that chose to hand off the ball to Derrick Henry only 16 times.
But when a quarterback turns the ball over twice in the biggest game of the year, after committing just nine turnovers all season, there will always be scrutiny in the NFL. Baltimore has now lost three times in the Divisional Round, twice in the Wild Card Round and once in the AFC Championship Game (falling 17-10 to the Chiefs last season) with Jackson at the helm.
He hugged Allen with a smile at Sunday night's closing, masking his own nagging pain to applaud the most worthy of enemies. He's still in the thick of the generation-defining quarterback matchup for supremacy alongside Mahomes and Allen, and he's continued to respond decisively to playoff adversity. He is so close, and he knows it.
The story of this season ends here for the Ravens. But Jackson will be back. He's too talented, too driven, too good not to.
What's next?
The NFL Conference Championships are Sunday, January 26 – live Sky Sports NFL – with the Philadelphia Eagles first hosting the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game at 8:00 p.m., then the Chiefs taking over at 11:30 p.m.
Super Bowl LIX takes place on Sunday, February 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, live on Sky Sports NFL.