The Time Is Now For Lamar Jackson And The Ravens

Michael Owens. Getty Images.

Here we fuckin go again. Just like every year, after a sensational season by Lamar Jackson and (and a little less so this time) the Ravens, it's time to see if this is the year he can finally break through and win the big one.

Last year was easily the most devastating, just because all the pieces were there for him to reverse the narrative for his entire generation. He had had a dominant season, won MVP, and Mahomes' resume was stacking up year over year. The Chiefs were (supposedly) in a down year and finally had to go on the road in an AFCCG to get to a Super Bowl. The ingredients were there for Lamar to finally get one to Mahomes' two and make some progress on tracking him down as the best QB of his generation.

Instead, he and the boys laid another egg and let the opportunity slip away. Mahomes did what he does and built what is likely an impossible resume for Lamar (or any of the likes of Allen or Burrow) to compare to even if he does get a couple of his own.

But it's gotta start with one, and this road isn't at all the cushy path that he had in front of him last year, or in 2019 for that matter. It starts with a pesky (yet flailing) Steelers team that has more often than not given Lamar fits during his career. Lamar had a very solid game a few weeks ago at home against this team and that gives me a lot of confidence going into tonight, but would anybody be surprised if the offense has to work hard for every yard they get tonight and struggle at times? 

Losing Zay Flowers is significant, and it's easy to forget that the Ravens were the beneficiary of recovering all 3 of their own fumbles 3 weeks ago, plus Russ Wilson's costly red zone fumble. No apologies for that fumble luck given that the Steelers have had all of it in recent years, but the defense also produced the massive pick 6 that effectively buried the Steelers that night. The Ravens offense moved the ball with a solid balance of Derrick Henry and through the air, but they didn't exactly dominate. It's ambitious to think they will tonight.

Which means that tonight is probably going to be a grind it out kind of game where the defense is going to have to continue what they've done over the past 6 or so weeks. We're going to have to win ugly, which we haven't been forced to do all that much. I'm confident our superiority will have us in a place where we should win the game, but we just have to avoid the dumb turnover and the costly penalties that plagued us early in the season.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I was nervous. We are the better team, very clearly. But I've been well conditioned to not expect the better team to win in these spots.

I'd love to wax poetic about going on the warpath to Buffalo and KC, but first things first.

We had the funeral for the Steelers December 21st. Tonight is the burial. Get the job done and bury these fucks.