What’s behind Lamar Jackson’s historic playoff struggles and why this year will be different

When Lamar Jackson suits up on Saturday against the Texans, it will be his first playoff game in 1,099 days. Incredibly, it’s been over three years since we last saw Jackson in the playoffs, when the Ravens lost 17-3 in Buffalo in the divisional round. That’s mostly because Jackson suffered season-ending injuries in each of the previous two years. 

Either way, it’s been quite a while, so I’ll give you a refresher on just how bad it’s been in the playoffs for the soon-to-be two-time league MVP.

First off, Jackson has a 1-3 career playoff record. Patrick Mahomes has more Super Bowl titles (two) than Jackson has playoff wins. Jackson has the same number of playoff wins since entering the league in 2018 as John Wolford. Who? Exactly. The same mark as a Rams third-string QB who didn’t even make it through the first quarter of a playoff win back in 2020. Jackson’s playoff record is bad, but it’s nothing to panic about, yet. After all, Peyton Manning had a 0-3 playoff record through five seasons. His career could have turned out worse.

It’s the numbers behind Jackson’s playoff record that are troubling. The Ravens are averaging just 13.0 points per game in Jackson’s playoff career. That’s the second-lowest mark by any QB with at least four playoff starts in the last 30 seasons, ahead of only Andy Dalton. Dalton has a 0-4 playoff record with one touchdown pass and six interceptions. Not the company you want to keep. 

Overall, Jackson has four total touchdowns, seven turnovers and a 68.3 passer rating in the postseason. His passer rating drops off nearly 30 points from his regular-season career, the fifth-largest decline in NFL history. 

W-L

58-19

1-3

Team PPG

28.3

13.0

Total TD – turnovers

154-66

4-7

Passer rating

98.0

68.3

Passer rating isn’t everyone’s flavor, though, so try this one on for size: 46 QBs have made at least four playoff starts since 2000. Only Rex Grossman (-0.22) and Dalton (-0.22)…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/whats-behind-lamar-jacksons-historic-playoff-struggles-and-why-this-year-will-be-different/

Author : Douglas Clawson

Publish date : 2024-01-19 15:07:04

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.