Ravens and Lamar Jackson enter playoffs with chance for redemption: ‘It’s about getting what we’re chasing’

Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun

“I don’t really get bothered by much [in my career] and I wouldn’t say I’ve had a lowest point, but I’ve had disappointments,” Jackson told The Sun. “Not finishing the season how we wanted, getting that first-round bye [in 2019] then losing before the AFC championship, that’s disappointing. We have a special team and hopefully we make it happen this year.”

“I think we all grow, we evolve [and] circumstances change,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We find ourself in a different place, and I’ve always admired Lamar for every part of what he’s doing. He’s always done his best and he’s doing his best right now.

“I would say this: He’s an A-plus leader right now. He’s been glue for the guys, and it’s been great to see.”

“The only way for someone to feel comfortable [with a quarterback] fully is to see it come through in a game,” Beckham told The Sun. “I’ve started to understand what he’s thinking, when he’s thinking so I know where he wants me to be and how he wants me to be.”

Added Agholor: “There’s a brotherhood here that is second to none thus far. It’s really fun in terms of the guys we’ve assembled. We respect each other, feed off each other.”

“My rookie year was my first time being in the playoffs and people already had us doubted,” [Lamar] told The Sun. “My second season, the Titans just had our number. We had a lot of drops, unfortunate things like that happened when we didn’t need them to. Third year, we won a game and lost in Buffalo. The past two years, I was hurt.

“Hopefully this year it’ll be something different.”

AFC No. 1 seed Ravens hoping to learn from ‘19 disappointment

Jamison Hensley, ESPN

“I’m still not completely over it, to be honest,” Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “Those opportunities don’t come too often.

“Luckily, we have another chance this year, and we’re going to make sure that we don’t take it for granted.”

Since playoff seedings began in the NFL in 1975, there have been four instances of a No. 1 seed losing consecutive postseason openers, according to ESPN Stats & Information. It’s only happened twice since 2000: the Tennessee Titans (2000, 2008 and 2021) and the Dallas Cowboys (2007 and 2016).

Over the past decade, the top-seeded teams are 16-4 (.800) in their first playoff games. The only teams to lose that opening game as the No. 1 seed are: the Cowboys (2016), Ravens (2019), Titans (2021) and Packers (2021).

“I remember we came out really, really slow in that Titans game,” Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce said. “We got a good plan, and Coach [John] Harbaugh is on top of it. We’ll be working, and we definitely are mindful to what happened last.”