Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
After the Ravens beat the Texans in the AFC divisional round Saturday night, securing Baltimore’s first conference championship game appearance in 11 years, Lamar Jackson spoke from a position of authority at the podium inside M&T Bank Stadium.
He mentioned how the halftime locker room, with the game knotted at 10, got fiery — and proudly acknowledged that he was at the forefront of the expletive-filled tirade that inspired the 24-0 run in the second half. But the most important thing Jackson said may have been his response when asked how much control he had in the game, compared to past playoff experiences.
Before Saturday, he had a 1-4 record in the postseason, with just four total touchdowns and seven giveaways.
“I have the keys to the offense,” Jackson responded, “and when I see it, I just try to put the team in the best position that I could.”
I have the keys to the offense.
Expected to win his second MVP award this season, Jackson appears to be more empowered than ever before in Baltimore. That’s the biggest difference this year for the Ravens, who, with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, will be in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2012 season.
The Ravens’ efforts to empower Jackson began in the spring, before he signed his record-setting, five-year, $260 million extension in May. It started while the quarterback — who at one point requested a trade — and the franchise were still at a contract impasse.
Wide receiver play had been an Achilles’ heel early in the Jackson era — even in 2019, when the team led the league in scoring and Jackson won his first MVP. From then through 2022, a wide receiver had led the team in receiving yards just once: Marquise Brown, who had glaring shortcomings as a No. 1 wide receiver and was eventually traded to Arizona in April 2022. Baltimore utilized a run-first scheme, but Jackson didn’t have any elite targets in…
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Publish date : 2024-01-25 00:15:21
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