With speed and resiliency, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson exacted postseason revenge and silenced those who doubted he could win when it matters most.
In the Ravens’ 20-13 wild-card triumph in Tennessee, Jackson won the first playoff game of his career and delivered payback for last year’s upset loss to the Titans.
The reigning NFL MVP changed the game with a 48-yard touchdown scramble late in the second quarter, the second-longest postseason touchdown run by a quarterback, and bounced back from an early interception to record the biggest comeback of his career. Jackson rallied the Ravens from a 10-0 deficit after being 0-6 in his career when trailing by double digits.
“It feels great,” Jackson told ESPN’s Lisa Salters. “I’m happy we got it done.”
The Ravens now have to wait for Sunday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns to see where they are headed for the AFC divisional round. If the Steelers win, Baltimore plays the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champs. If the Browns win, the Ravens will visit the No. 2-seeded Buffalo Bills.
Jackson’s failures in the postseason were the major storyline heading into this game. He was 0-2 in the playoffs after the 28-12 upset loss to the Titans last year, when Baltimore was the AFC’s top seed and a 10-point favorite.
Then Jackson and the Ravens fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter after a poor downfield throw resulted in an interception, setting up a Titans field goal. Unlike last season — when early mistakes snowballed — Jackson rebounded by going 16-of-21 for 178 yards the rest of the way.
“We stayed focused. We didn’t get rattled. My coaches didn’t get rattled,” Jackson told Salters. “I threw a dumbass — I’m sorry — dumb interception. But we kept fighting and made it happen.”
With 136 rushing yards, Jackson became the second quarterback in the Super Bowl era to total 100 rushing yards and score a rushing touchdown in a playoff game, joining Colin Kaepernick.
Jackson has produced one of the most memorable starts to an NFL career. He was the youngest quarterback to win NFL MVP last season. He became the fastest quarterback to win 30 games in NFL history when he clinched a playoff berth in the season finale (his 37th game).
Now he finally has a postseason victory.