Ravens say Lamar will win a SB: 'It's inevitable'

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A day after the Baltimore Ravens once again came up short of their ultimate goal, they still say it’s only a matter of time before they’re celebrating a championship with quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“It’s inevitable,” Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard said Monday. “He’s going to win a Super Bowl, and I want to be a part of it. It just sucks that it hasn’t happened yet.”

Jackson is the only two-time NFL Most Valuable Player to not win a Super Bowl, much less reach one. Sunday’s 27-25 loss at the Buffalo Bills dropped his postseason record to 3-5.

It was a struggle early for Jackson on Sunday, when he threw an interception in the first quarter and lost a fumble in the second quarter. After halftime, Jackson nearly pulled off one of his best comebacks, throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely to cut Baltimore’s deficit to 27-25 with 1 minute, 33 seconds remaining. Then, Jackson’s potential game-tying pass on a 2-point conversion was dropped by tight end Mark Andrews.

“I personally feel bad for him because he deserves it just because of how great of a player he is,” Ricard said. “He deserves to be considered one of the best quarterbacks. He already is, but I know everyone considers championships as the standard, and he’ll get it one day.”

Ricard enjoys the comparison between Jackson and Peyton Manning. In their first seven seasons, both Manning and Jackson won multiple NFL MVP awards but were 3-5 in the playoffs. Manning eventually won two Super Bowls.

“There’s still time,” Ricard said. “He’s still young. He’s definitely going to [get] one at some point.”

Jackson, 28, could become the youngest to ever win MVP three times. The award will be announced at the NFL Honors show on Feb. 6.

He is coming off his best statistical season, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw more than 40 touchdown passes and fewer than five interceptions in a season (he finished the season with 41 TDs and four picks).

But Jackson has failed to win consecutive playoff games in his career. And since entering the NFL in 2018, his 11 turnovers in the playoffs lead the league over that span.

“Oh, he’s mad. He’s mad for sure,” Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers said. “We know our team. We know what we’re supposed to do and we know the only way that we can’t do what we want to is what we did yesterday. So I already know how he’s feeling.”