The Baltimore Ravens have had a storybook season. After starting 2-2 this season, the Ravens have won 12 consecutive games to a franchise-best 14-2 record. With the No. 1 seed locked up and Baltimore resting up during their first-round bye, the Ravens are unquestionably the best team in the league and the favorites to win Super Bowl LIV.
So it’s no wonder Baltimore continued to hold their crown in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings after Week 17. However, writer Nate Davis wonders if quarterback Lamar Jackson can continue to dominate in the postseason.
“They rode franchise-best 12-game winning streak and record-setting offense to first No. 1 seed in club history. Next question is whether presumptive league MVP Lamar Jackson’s upward trajectory will continue in playoffs, where he short-circuited last year.”
There’s no reason to think Jackson can’t or won’t continue to show out in the playoffs, even against the top teams in the AFC. Of the five other teams in the playoffs, Jackson has played four of them and beaten three this season. That includes 37-20 and 41-7 wins over the New England Patriots and Houston Texans respectively.
Against those four playoff teams this season, Jackson has gone 72-of-115 (62.6%) for 797 yards eight touchdowns and one interception while adding another 226 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries.
Jackson had an MVP-caliber season, even against top teams. With Baltimore’s defensive improvement over the course of the year on top of the offense’s performance, there should be no question that Jackson can lead the Ravens to victory in the playoffs.
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