Whats behind Lamar Jacksons historic playoff struggles and why this year will be different

Whats behind Lamar Jacksons historic playoff struggles and why this year will be different

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When suits up on Saturday against the , it will be his first playoff game in 1,099 days. Incredibly, it's been over three years since we last saw Jackson in the playoffs, when the lost 17-3 in Buffalo in the divisional round. That's mostly because Jackson suffered season-ending injuries in each of the previous two years.Either way, it's been quite a while, so I'll give you a refresher on just how bad it's been in the playoffs for the soon-to-be two-time league MVP.First off, Jackson has a 1-3 career playoff record. has more titles (two) than Jackson has playoff wins. Jackson has the same number of playoff wins since entering the league in 2018 as . Who? Exactly. The same mark as a third-string QB who didn't even make it through the first quarter of Kirk Gibson Jersey a playoff win back in 2020. Jackson's playoff record is bad, but it's nothing to panic about, yet. After all, had a 0-3 playoff record through five seasons. His career could have turned out worse.It's the numbers behind Jackson's playoff record that are troubling. The Ravens are averaging just 13.0 points per game in Jackson's playoff career. That's the second-lowest mark by any QB with at least four playoff starts in the last 30 seasons, ahead of only . Dalton has a 0-4 playoff record with one touchdown pa s and six interceptions. Not the company you want to keep. Overall, Jackson has four total touchdowns, seven turnovers and a 68.3 pa ser rating in the postseason. His pa ser rating drops off nearly 30 points from his regular-season career, the fifth-largest decline in history.Lamar Jackson CareerRegular SeasonPlayoffsW-L58-191-3Team PPG28.313.0Total TD - turnovers154-664-7Pa ser rating98.068.3Pa ser rating isn't everyone's flavor, though, so try this one on for size: 46 QBs have made at least four playoff starts since 2000. Only Rex Gro sman (-0.22) and Dalton (-0.22) are worse than Jackson (-0.18) in EPA per play in that span.The Ravens have dug themselves into deep holes in each of their four playoff games with Jackson. They've trailed by double digits in each game and didn't score a touchdown in the first three quarters in three of those four contests. In fact, the only touchdown pa ses Jackson has thrown in his playoff career have come in the fourth quarter down by at least 13 points. Yeah, it's been that bad.Jackson ranks dead last in pa ser rating (49.6) and EPA per play (-0.37) in the first three quarters of playoff games since 2000. That's among 46 QBs with at least four starts.Lamar Jackson Playoff CareerFirst Three QuartersFourth QuarterYards per attempt6.27.3Pa s yards per game129.595.5Pa s TD-INT0-53-0Pa ser rating49.698.4It hasn't been all bad for Jackson. He ran for 136 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown run, in his only career playoff win vs. the in the 2020 wild-card round.I watched the film from Jackson's four career playoff starts to explore why he (and Baltimore's offense) have fallen short in the playoffs.Rattled by pre sureJackson has been the improv king this season (more on that later) but his game has been completely off with pre sure in his face in the playoffs. He's just 9 for 34 pa sing vs. pre sure in the postseason, the worst completion rate (27%) in the league since 2018 (min. 25 attempts). He's looked rattled and his off-target rate when pre sured has increased from 15% in the regular season to 32% in the playoffs. He consistently mi sed opportunities he usually hits, even when under dure s.Pocket pa singDefenses have also played Jackson differently in the postseason, blitzing le s and playing more zone coverage in an effort to keep as many eyes on Jackson as po sible and keep him contained on scrambles. He hasn't responded by carving them in the pocket up to this point. His accuracy has been inconsistent (as noted) above, but he's also failed to notice open receivers, mi sed checkdowns and held on to the ball too long, resulting in more sacks. His numbers from the pocket in his playoff career: completion rate of 59%, 6.5 yards per attempt, two touchdown pa ses, five interceptions and a 65.7 rating. Lamar Jackson CareerBlitz RateZone RateOff-Target RateADOTSack PctAvg Time to ThrowRegular season31%62%13%8.77%3.1Postseason20%70%14%9.612%3.3Inferior system and playmakersThe Ravens' supporting cast didn't do Jackson any favors in the postseason either. No team invested le s dollars in wide receivers in Jackson's first four years Custom Jersey as the Ravens' primary starter. No team got fewer receiving yards from wideouts in that span. It showed up in the playoffs when their second-best receiver was and they struggled to create separation or make plays after the catch. Baltimore's previous offense was built around Jackson's strengths as a runner. There were more two-tight end sets, le s spread offense and athleticism on the field, a model that failed in January.Jackson responded with "very confident" this week when asked about the Ravens offense this postseason given its struggles in his previous playoff outings.He has every reason to be. He averaged a career-high 8.0 yards per pa s attempt this year and posted his second-highest succe s rate on pa s plays (49%) behind his 2019 MVP year (51 David Price Jersey %).Baltimore's new offense under Todd Monken is highlighting Jackson's strengths as a pa ser and should be a better model for the postseason. The Ravens are more talented, spread out and faster. With more three wide receiver sets they are challenging the outside of the field and doing more damage after the catch. Jackson was the NFL's best QB when pre sured this year (NFL-best 8.7 yards per attempt) thanks to playmakers who can get open in the scramble drill.Ravens Offense Since 2018 With Lamar Jackson On Field2019-222023Pct of plays with 3+ WR43%56%Pct of attempts outside numbers46%54%YAC per reception4.95.7The difference in his wide receiver room this year vs. previous years is stark.Ravens WR Rotation Entering Postseason with Lamar JacksonYear, , Willie Snead, 2018, Willie Snead, , 2019Marquise Brown, Willie Snead, Miles Boykin, 2020, , , 2023There also hasn't been enough talk about the job backup tight end has done with hurt. Likely ranks second among tight ends in yards per catch (15.3) in six games since Andrews was injured (trailing only ). It should all add up to a different looking Jackson and Ravens team this postseason. Nothing is guaranteed, though, especially with the Texans riding 's hot hand. Houston also has a talented pair of edge rushers (. and ). As much as a Baltimore turnaround is expected, a lo s would be devastating. Keep in mind, this team already went one-and-done in 2019 when Jackson won unanimous MVP. The Ravens were 14-2 and outscored their opponents by 249 points. They were +203 this year, too. No team since the merger has lost multiple playoff openers with a +200 point differential.Only one QB has lost multiple playoff openers in the same season they won MVP:.Baltimore has also won 66 regular-season games since drafting Jackson but has only one playoff win to show for it. That would be the most wins by any team in a six-season span in NFL history, with one or fewer playoff wins.You can see why Jackson is under the most pre sure of any player to win this weekend.
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