With speed and resilience, Baltimore Ravens fullback Lamar Jackson claimed revenge on the post-season and silenced those who doubted he could win if it mattered most.
In the Ravens’ 20-13 wild card triumph in Tennessee, Jackson won the first playoff game of his career and paid back the last year’s upset loss to the Titans.
The reigning NFL MVP changed the game with a 48-yard rush late in the second quarter, the second-longest quarterback of a quarter, and bounced back from an early interception to record the biggest comeback in his career. Jackson clinched the Ravens from a 10-0 deficit after going 0-6 in his career when he was trailing by double figures.
“It feels great,” Jackson told Lisa Salters of ESPN. “I’m glad we did.
The Ravens now have to wait for the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns on Sunday night to see where they are headed for the AFC Division Round. If the Steelers win, Baltimore will play the leading Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champion. If the Browns win, the Ravens will visit the Buffalo Bills at No. 2.
Jackson’s failures in the post-season were the main storyline in this game. He was 0-2 in the playoffs after disappointing the Titans 28-12 last year, when Baltimore was the AFC’s leading seed and a ten-point favorite.
Then Jackson and the Ravens fell 10-0 behind in the first quarter after a poor throw down the field had an interception, setting up a field goal from the Titans. Unlike last season – when early errors snowed – Jackson bounced back by going 16-out-21 for 178 yards.
“We stayed focused. We didn’t rattle. My coaches didn’t rattle,” Jackson told Salters. ‘I threw a dumb – I’m sorry – dumb intercepted. But we kept fighting and made it happen. ‘
With 136 running yards, Jackson became the second full-back in the Super Bowl era to have a total of 100 runs in the Super Bowl series and recorded a quick showdown in a playoff game. He joined Colin Kaepernick.
Jackson delivered one of the most memorable beginnings of an NFL career. He was the youngest quarterback to win the NFL MVP last season. He became the fastest fullback to win 30 games in NFL history when he clinched a playoff spot in the final season (his 37th game).
Now he finally has a win after the season.