Before we get to what’s next, we should address what just happened.
The Ravens’ playoff win against the Steelers was significant for myriad reasons. The most significant is because it keeps their Super Bowl hopes alive. That’s actually the only one that really matters, but we’ll keep going because even in the TikTok age I feel like we have the ability to think beyond 40 words.
By not only winning but winning decisively, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens erased two legitimate narratives. The first is the narrative that the Steelers “had their number.” Or that the Steelers had been the “big brother” in the rivalry or whatever you wanted to call it. This narrative was always a bit dubious given the overwhelming amount of anomaly involved with the Steelers winning eight of nine games in the series. But the body language and responses from the Ravens after their November loss in Pittsburgh added credence to the notion.
That’s done now. The Ravens had been the better team during the stretch. The series record was not an accurate reflection of anything. Two decisive wins — the first with the division title hanging in the balance and the second in the playoffs — have flipped the script. The Ravens don’t have a Steelers problem anymore. They’ll have to rectify their specific troubles IN Pittsburgh of late, but the issue is not John Harbaugh-Mike Tomlin or Ravens-Steelers. They’re the hammer again. They were overwhelming.
The second busted narrative will be the more difficult one for national bloviators (as a reminder, you CAN ignore them) to accept. It’s the narrative that Jackson “isn’t the same guy in the playoffs.” And that goose is also cooked. Jackson has now posted a 2-1 record in his last three playoff games. In that stretch he has completed 65 percent of his passes, piled up 834 yards of total offense to go along with seven total touchdowns and just one interception (and one lost fumble). He hasn’t gone “one and done” in the postseason since before the pandemic.
A three-game sample size (which I acknowledge still includes the disappointment of the AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs) does not suddenly make Jackson a playoff legend or anything along those lines. But the reality is that, like many before him, Jackson was being overly judged on results from very early in his career (and at a dramatically young age) and untimely injuries robbed him of additional changes to change the narrative.
Lamar Jackson very much met the almost impossible standard of “being Lamar Jackson” in his first playoff game this year. He was brilliant against the Steelers. If only football had adopted a common stat that judges quarterback’s decision-making on zone reads as well because it feels like his 132.0 quarterback rating still doesn’t fully do the performance justice.
So yes, narratives completely and totally busted. And this comes on the heels of Jackson being voted first-team All-Pro, making it very likely that the quarterback is headed toward a third MVP.
But there will be no parades for any of these things.
These are good things. They’re notable accomplishments. If the Ravens fall short of New Orleans, it will be likely that many fans will choose to ignore them. They shouldn’t. It matters that it is incredibly pleasant to be a Baltimore football fan at the moment. It should never be taken for granted.
This week will provide one of the most delicious storylines in recent NFL playoff memory. It will be easy for pundits to suggest that the outcome of the game determines “the real MVP.” Such proclamations are of course completely nonsense. MVP votes are in and reflect the whole of a season.
But, you know, there’s not NOTHING to the conversation, either. If either Jackson or Josh Allen wins MVP after losing this game, it will feel somewhat emptier. It won’t make the winner any less deserving.
This specific game won’t define either player’s legacy. Whoever wins will not avoid scrutiny if they happen to turn around and lose to the Chiefs (or the Texans) the following week. It’s a massive game that will have a massive buildup. But it’s also just a divisional round game. The following games are the ones that define legacies. Of course, you can’t get to those games without winning this game, so yeah, this one matters a ton.
Josh Allen doesn’t have any sort of upper hand over Jackson at this point in their careers. But if the Ravens lose, even if Jackson plays brilliantly, it will be all too easy to a create a more specific narrative that points out how the potential three-time MVP will then be 0-3 all-time in playoff games against Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
Instead, Jackson could bust that particular narrative before it even begins.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox