Lamar Jackson has left the NFL playoffs early again after losing to the Buffalo Bills last Saturday in the AFC Divisional Round. Now the player is entering a new offseason that will bring a lot of questions to the Baltimore Ravens about their franchise quarterback.
He finally earned his first playoffs win but the joy didn’t last that long as Jackson faced reality against Josh Allen and the Bills that didn’t have mercy with the player and got him out of the game and the postseason.
Jackson tried to change the narrative about him before the playoffs but he failed to do the job against the Bills. Now it’s time to see what went wrong, what he can improve and what he can do to help his team find success in the postseason.
Shannon Sharpe compares Lamar Jackson to Giannis Antetokounmpo
Former Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe spoke about Jackson, comparing him to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the current NBA MVP who has underperformed in the playoffs in the last two seasons. The legendary tight end put Lamar at the same level as Giannis Antetokoumpo, a player that can be dominant in the regular season but fades when the postseason arrives.
“Lamar wasn’t playing well. When I critique any player, I’m not critiquing him as a person. I don’t care about charitable contributions, I don’t care what he does off the field.
“I am critiquing his play. If you believe Lamar Jackson is going to run the Ravens to a Super Bowl you are out of your mind.”
Sharpe made the comparisons between the two players, explaining that their game isn’t much more than one move, one skill and that’s it.
“He’s an MVP level player and he’ll have great success in the regular season. But when you get to the playoffs and they clam your b**t down, and you only have one dimension to your game. If Giannis can’t Eurostep and dunk you, what can he do?”
“Okay Lamar Jackson, we’re going to take your legs away. We’re not going to let you go for a buck fifty running the football. Throw the ball. Of the 24 passes that he threw, only five went 10 yards or further…
“Right now, Lamar Jackson is not a good enough thrower of the football to get the Ravens to where they need to be. It’s simple as that.”
This appears to be a race against time for Jackson, who hasn’t delivered as promised in the past couple of seasons. He’s still young but the Ravens could be running out of patience for the quarterback, who is yet to have a deep playoff run with Baltimore.
