It’s not often that a reigning NFL Most Valuable Player is subject to criticism.
Yet here we are with Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson as he readies for one of the biggest games of the season, as his Ravens (5-2) play at the Colts (5-2) on Sunday.
Jackson seemingly has it all. Last season, at age 23, he became the youngest player in NFL history to be named MVP and just the second to win by a unanimous vote, joining Tom Brady (2010). Jackson has mad skills. He’s surrounded by one of the best teams in the NFL, and he plays for one of the best head coaches in the game, John Harbaugh.
The problem?
Jackson has shown an alarming tendency to struggle against elite opponents.
This drew a spotlight on him last Sunday when the Ravens lost to the Steelers, 28-24, while Jackson turned the ball over four times (two interceptions and two fumbles).
“The turnovers, I feel, are the reason we lost the game,” he told reporters afterward. “No turnovers, we win the game. I put that on me.”
Jackson’s accountability is admirable, but for a quarterback who has a career record of 24-7, he hasn’t accounted for enough victories in the biggest games.
He’s 0-2 in the playoffs — losing to the Chargers in 2018 and to the Titans last season. That loss to Tennessee came after the Ravens had earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a 14-2 regular-season record and were heavy favorites to get to the Super Bowl.
Jackson also is 0-3 in head-to-head matchups against the Chiefs and their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Now, after the loss to Pittsburgh, Jackson is 0-2 against the division-rival Steelers in his young career.
In fairness, Jackson led the Ravens to wins over five teams that reached the playoffs last season — the Seahawks, Patriots, Texans, Bills and the Super Bowl runner-up 49ers.
In the Ravens’ two games this season against their most accomplished opponents, Jackson has struggled — his turnovers delivered a defeat last week despite 265 yards rushing by the Ravens, and he had just 97 passing yards in a blowout loss to the Chiefs (7-1) in Week 3.
Now comes Indianapolis, which is also a team trying to prove itself as one of the league’s elite. The Colts’ five wins have come against opponents with a combined record of 12-25-1 — with their only victory against a team with a winning record a victory over the Bears, who are 5-3.
Jackson, in 2019, completed 265 of 401 passes (66 percent) for 3,127 yards and an NFL-high 36 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,206 yards — sixth-most in the league and the most by a quarterback in NFL single-season history.
So far this season, his numbers have been quite a bit less prolific — 115-of-190 passing (60.5 percent) with 12 TDs and four INTs, along with 411 rushing yards.
Colts pass-rusher Justin Houston said this week that Jackson is “hands down and by far the quickest, fastest quarterback’’ he’s ever faced.
“There are a lot of quarterbacks with speed, but no other quarterback moves the way he moves in that pocket,” Houston told reporters. “When he gets out of the pocket, he is so dangerous.”
Colts coach Frank Reich spoke about his defense employing “an 11-on-1 mentality” in an effort to contain Jackson.
“I think the speed and talent level of our defense as a unit is at a spot that can match up against players like this,” Reich said. “Lamar is a great player. He’s going to make his plays, but our goal is to minimize those the best we can.’’
Life got a little more complicated for Jackson and the Ravens’ offense when their left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who last week signed a five-year, $99 million contract extension, was lost for the season with an ankle injury.
The Ravens have rushed for 200 or more yards 16 times since Jackson became Baltimore’s starter in Week 11 of 2018. Now, a week after facing the Steelers’ top-ranked defense and gaining 457 yards against them, the Ravens face a Colts defense that’s ranked No. 2, allowing an average of 293.4 yards per game.
The Ravens have won three of their past four meetings against the Colts. Dating back to Week 5 of last season, the Ravens have won nine consecutive road games (including 3-0 this season), which is the NFL’s longest active streak.