Lamar Jackson has once again fallen short in his quest to win a Super Bowl, but the star quarterback hasn’t lost the confidence of his Baltimore Ravens teammates.
Following the 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Sunday’s divisional matchup, Jackson’s teammates were already looking ahead to the future, saying it’s only a matter of time until the two-time NFL MVP delivers.
“It’s inevitable. He’s [Jackson] going to win a Super Bowl, and I want to be a part of it,” Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard told reporters on Monday.
“It just sucks that it hasn’t happened yet. I, personally, feel bad for him because he deserves it, just because of how great of a player he is. He deserves to be considered one of the best quarterbacks. He already is, but I know everyone considers championships as the standard, and he’ll get it one day.”
This postseason marked the fifth playoff appearance for Jackson since being drafted to Baltimore in 2018. While the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner has been able to etch his name in the NFL history books as a great player, the struggle to reach a Super Bowl is clearly beginning to take a toll.
“I’m tired this s—,” Jackson said. “I’m tired of being right there. We need to punch it in. We need to punch in that ticket.”
Jackson had an interception and fumble in the loss in Buffalo. Heading into the game, he only had four interceptions and five fumbles on the season.
The 28-year-old is not the only young star quarterback to struggle in the postseason, having to wait a little later than desired to hoist his first Lombardi Trophy. The four-time Pro Bowler is actually in good company. Hall of Famer Peyton Manning didn’t reach his first Super Bowl until his seventh postseason, winning his first at 30 years old, while fellow Hall of Famer John Elway, who was drafted in 1983, famously did not reach his first Super Bowl title until 1998. He was 37 years old.
“There’s still time,” Ricard added. “He’s still young. He’s definitely going to get one at some point.”
Jackson, who is a favorite to win the MVP award this season, took a bit of the blame for Sunday’s loss, but his teammates continued to have his back and express their excitement for a future with him under center.
“Lamar is what makes this team go, and he’s the reason why we still had a chance,” star running back Derrick Henry said.
“He’s a Hall of Fame player, had a great season. It’s a team effort. We came up short together. It’s not on him. Forget what anybody else outside of what we [have] going on says. We believe in him, and we’ll always [have] his back,” Henry added.
Jackson finished the season with 4,172 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, 915 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
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