The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t the only team with a recent history of underwhelming postseason success. In fact, they might not even be the team enduring the most pressure and scrutiny that takes to field Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
Whereas the Steelers will be out to end an eight-year drought without a postseason win, the Baltimore Ravens have only three playoff victories since they claimed the Super Bowl XLVII title at the end of the 2012 season.
That matches the Steelers’ output in that span.
More germane is in the Lamar Jackson era (since 2018), Baltimore is 2-5 in playoff games. Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP, is 2-4 as a starter in the postseason.
Jackson was asked by reporters in Baltimore this week if he dwells on his playoff history.
“No, my mind is going forward,” Jackson said. “I was young in the beginning, and it happened fast. To be honest with you, the only one I do think about is (last year’s) AFC championship. That’s probably the only playoff game I do think about — we were right there. But I’m focused now, though. It is what it is at this point. We have to worry about the Steelers.”
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Leading the AFC’s No. 1 seed last season, Jackson earned his second career playoff win in a 34-10 beating of the Houston Texans in the divisional round. Jackson’s only other victory in the postseason was in the wild-card round at the end of the 2020 season, 20-13 against the Tennessee Titans.
The Houston game is the only playoff contest during which Jackson has posted a passer rating better than 78.8. Tossing aside his performance against the Texans on Jan. 20, 2024 — Jackson went 16 for 22 for 152 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 121.8 passer rating — Jackson’s career playoff passer rating would be 69.8.
Even with the stellar effort against Houston included, Jackson’s career passer rating in the playoffs is 75.7. In the regular season for his career, it’s 102.0.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh is well aware that Jackson’s lack of relative success in the postseason is a prevailing narrative swirling around the team and specifically Jackson himself.
That was exhibited when asked a question by an ESPN reporter this week about Jackson learning from his past playoff shortcomings and being better off for it.
“Yes. There’s your answer,” Harbaugh said. “I’d like to elaborate, but there’s really no elaboration. It’s pretty clear that that’s the truth.”
Back to Jackson, who said the only past playoff game he thinks about is the most recent one — his only career AFC championship game appearance, when he went 20 for 37 for 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception in addition to eight carries for 54 yards.
What does Jackson recall about that game, at home, against the Kansas City Chiefs?
“We lost,” he said. “That’s it.”
And while all but two players on the Steelers’ roster will be seeking their first playoff win with the team, Jackson draws motivation from that 17-10 defeat one game shy of the Super Bowl less than a year ago.
“I believe I said that throughout the season (that) I’ve thought about that, definitely,” Jackson said. “We have to worry about the Steelers now, though.”
