With speed and bounce, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson demanded post-season revenge, silencing those who doubted he could win when it matters most.
In the Ravens’ 20-13 wildcard triumph in Tennessee, Jackson won the first playoff game of his career and paid back last year’s 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 post-season touchdown run by a quarterback, rebounding 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 he was left with double digits.
“It feels great,” Jackson told ESPN’s Lisa Salters. “I’m glad we got it done.”
The Ravens will now have to wait for Sunday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns to see where they go for the AFC division round. If the Steelers win, Baltimore will play the best-placed Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions. When the Browns win, the Ravens visit the No. 2-seeded Buffalo Bills.
Jackson’s post-season failures were the main storyline on the way to 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 best seed and a 10-point favorite.
Then Jackson and the Ravens trailed 10-0 in the first quarter, after a bad pitch into the field resulted in an interception, creating a Titans field goal. Unlike last season – when early mistakes snowballed – Jackson recovered by going 16-by-21 178 meters the rest of the way.
“We stayed focused. We didn’t get confused. My coaches didn’t get confused,” Jackson told Salters. I threw a dummy – sorry – stupid interception. But we kept fighting and made it happen. ‘
With 136 rushing yards, Jackson became the second quarterback in the Super Bowl era with a total of 100 rushing yards and scored a hasty touchdown in a playoff game, joining Colin Kaepernick.
Jackson has produced one of the most memorable starts of an NFL career. He was the youngest quarterback to win the NFL MVP last season. He became the fastest quarterback to win 30 games in NFL history when he captured a playoff berth in the season finale (his 37th game).
Now he finally has a victory in the postseason.