Lamar Jackson has won the same number of playoff games as NFL MVP trophies: two.
The dearth of postseason victories have been an issue and the Ravens star quarterback looks to change the narrative when third-seeded Baltimore hosts the sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC wild-card round on Saturday night.
Jackson owns a 2-4 record in the playoffs, having thrown six interceptions while fumbling six times (losing three) in the postseason. He has thrown for six touchdowns and rushed for three in his playoff career.
In other words, production needs to increase and miscues need to decrease.
And the 28-year-old needs to be more relaxed.
“I’m just too excited — that’s all. Too antsy, that’s all,” Jackson said of his playoff troubles. “I’m seeing things before it happens like, ‘Oh, I have to calm myself down.’ But just being more experienced, I’ve found a way to balance it out.”
One person who could come to the rescue is star running back Derrick Henry.
In his first season with the Ravens, Henry rushed for 1,921 yards, second in the NFL, and 16 touchdowns, tied for first. He has played in seven postseason games, and he helped Tennessee reach the AFC Championship Game in the 2019 season before the Titans lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Henry is aware of the team’s reputation for coming up short in the playoffs. Just last season, the Ravens were the top seed but eventually lost at home to the Chiefs in the AFC title game.
“We’ve got to be different this time,” Henry said. “I think you all know that and we all feel that. We all know what we’re capable of. Let’s go get it.”
This will be the fifth postseason meeting between the teams. Pittsburgh won three of the previous four, but the Ravens prevailed in the most recent playoff matchup, 30-17 in the wild-card round on Jan. 3, 2015.
This season, the Ravens (12-5) and Steelers (10-7) split their two regular-season meetings, with each team winning at home.
The Steelers captured the first game 18-16 behind six field goals from Chris Boswell on Nov. 17. In the rematch on Dec. 21, Jackson threw three touchdown passes and Henry rushed for 162 yards in Baltimore’s 34-17 triumph.
Pittsburgh enters the Saturday clash on a four-game losing streak. The Steelers missed multiple chances to clinch the AFC North before eventually being overtaken by Baltimore, which won its last four contests.
“For us, it’s not about being in the tournament. It’s not about pouting over the last month,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s about this week for us, we’re playing someone that we’re highly familiar with. They’re also highly familiar with us. … And so there’s a lot of work ahead of us in preparation for performance.”
Pittsburgh has been outscored 109-57 during the slide and hasn’t scored more than 17 points in any of the setbacks.
The Steelers lost 19-17 to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals last week, and the refrain from Pittsburgh players is consistent: Turn the page.
“Everybody doesn’t get a chance to play in the playoffs, everybody doesn’t get a chance to prolong their season week by week,” Pittsburgh cornerback Donte Jackson said. “So you have to be turned up. You’ve got to flush everything that happened, and you got to just detail in and hone in on this. The guys don’t worry about the last month.”
The Steelers will be counting on veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to be steady in his approach. The 36-year-old won a Super Bowl title with the Seattle Seahawks in the 2013 season and has a 9-7 record in the postseason.
Ravens receiver Zay Flowers (knee) missed his second straight day of practice on Wednesday and remains unlikely to play Saturday. Flowers was injured during the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
Baltimore returner Deonte Harty (knee) missed practice on Wednesday after being a full participant the day before, when the team activated his 21-day window to return. Harty was injured in Week 6 and missed the rest of the regular season.
Pittsburgh star defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (illness) sat out his second straight practice on Wednesday. Boswell (illness) and tight end MyCole Pruitt (knee) also sat out.
–Field Level Media
