As great of a career as Lamar Jackson has had, he’s struggled in the playoffs.
Jackson is 2-4 in the postseason and has made it past the divisional round just once, last season when the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship. The two-time MVP said in the past he struggled to keep his composure in high-stakes postseason games.
“I’d just be too excited,” Jackson told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s all. Too antsy. I’m seeing things before it happened, like, ‘Oh, I got to calm myself down.’ But just being more experienced, I’ve found a way to balance it out.”
Jackson is outstanding at playing mistake-free football, but that reputation hasn’t followed him into the playoffs as he produced six interceptions and three lost fumbles in his six playoff games. Jackson said he needs to be “mistake-free” in the playoffs this year to avoid the same issues he’s dealt with in the past.
This season, Jackson has thrown for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has a 119.6 quarterback rating, the fourth-best ever in a season. Amid the best season of his career, Jackson can add to it with an impressive postseason, which he hopes will end with a Super Bowl.
His quest toward his first championship will start on Saturday in the wild-card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers.