I remember when In-N-Out was all the rage on the app that used to be called Twitter, and everyone on the West Coast was promoting it like it was this five-star fine dining restaurant served on a tray that you ate in your car like an animal. And then more and more people started trying In-N-Out and they were like, “Actually, this is pretty mediocre and I don't understand what all the fuss is about.”
Well, that's how I feel about the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens and their quarterback have become the NFL's overrated burger chain that's lost its luster.
Now, I know everyone is picking up their metaphorical pitchforks and pointing them at me for mentioning Lamar Jackson's name in vain. So let me make some things clear: Lamar Jackson is an incredibly talented football player. An elite football player. He's not an elite football thrower, and he's not clutch. The Ravens are losing. 1 ton They will be making a number of acquisitions this offseason that could give them their best chance at a Super Bowl appearance in the near future.
So today, let's talk about the Ravens, who they lost, what they're missing, and why the Lamar Jackson craze may be going a little too far.
The Baltimore Ravens' missing piece
While everyone seems to be scrutinizing the players the Buffalo Bills lost, it baffles me that almost no one has mentioned the incredible players the Ravens lost during the offseason. Star linebacker Patrick Queen signed with division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Safety Geno Stone also signed with the Cincinnati Bengals to stay in the division. On top of that, the Ravens lost forwards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson, and can never count on Ronnie Stanley being healthy. Other notable players include pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, cornerback Ronald Darby, running back Gus Edwards, and receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
But the biggest loss is defensive coordinator Mike McDonald's departure to take the head coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens lost the man behind last year's phenomenal defense, plus several stars and role players on that side of the floor, so Baltimore's defense will almost certainly be in decline.
Offensively, outside of receiver Zay Flowers, who do you fear? Rashaud Bateman? Sorry, no. Mark Andrews is great, but injuries started to affect him a year ago and he missed seven games. Even with Flowers, he's not a top-20 receiver in the league. He might not even be in the top-32 receivers in the league, and the Ravens don't have a proven No. 2 receiver to fill in for him.
Now, let me tell you about Mr. Jackson.
Lamar Jackson's weaknesses
I can feel the Force stirring, which means an incredible amount of people in Maryland are rushing to type in “two-time MVP.” Good for him, of course. The MVP he won in 2019 was well-deserved. What about the MVP he won last season? [Insert Tony Romo voice] I don't know, Jim.
Jackson's performance was mediocre — his 24 touchdown passes were fewer than Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson, and his passing yards were fewer than Derek Carr and Sam Howell — and while I know the scores don't tell the whole story, his detailed stats were just… so-so.
Among all quarterbacks who will play at least 200 snaps in 2023, Jackson was 11th in adjusted EPA per play, 10th in CPOE and 11th in big-time throws. Jackson wasn't bad by any means, but he wasn't MVP-level great either.
With regards to Lamar, one must argue that he has not had any major wins. He is 2-4 in the playoffs so far and 0-4 in games where the opponent has scored 13 or more points in the postseason. His biggest win so far came in a divisional round playoff game against a rookie quarterback who only had one effective receiver on the field and was making his playoff first. His second biggest win came against Ryan Tannehill and the Titans, who had swept Baltimore in the playoffs the previous year.
In his two most important games, against the Bills in the 2020-21 Divisional Round and against the Chiefs in the 2023-24 AFC Championship Game, Lamar threw two of the worst interceptions I've ever seen. Down 10-3 and with a chance to tie the game, he threw an interception to Bills' Taron Johnson in the end zone, which was returned 101 yards for a touchdown. The Bills won and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. Then in January against Kansas City, with just under seven minutes left and a chance to get within one point, Jackson threw a pass into triple coverage in the end zone that was intercepted by Deon Bush. Had he not intercepted it, several other Chiefs players would have had the same chance. In both playoff games combined, Jackson completed 34 of 61 passes for 434 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a passer rating of 68.5. Additionally, Jackson leads all quarterbacks in fourth-quarter and overtime turnovers in one-possession games over the past three seasons, according to ESPN.
There's no denying that Jackson is a great talent — that's for sure — but there's also no denying that he's overrated and not on the same level as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow.
