Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Not Talking Super Bowl Expectations In July: 'We Get To The Playoffs But We Don't Punch In'

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson declined to discuss the team's potential as 2025 Super Bowl contenders during the start of training camp. Jackson expressed reluctance, citing past disappointments where playoff discussions didn't translate to postseason success. "Every time we had those discussions... we get to the playoffs, but we don't punch in. We don’t finish," Jackson stated, emphasizing his focus on finishing camp correctly and preparing for the season opener against the Buffalo Bills rather than the distant Super Bowl.

Since being drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Jackson has led the team to the postseason every year except one (a season where he missed five games and the team went 1-4). Despite consistent playoff appearances, the Ravens have never reached the Super Bowl with Jackson and haven't won multiple games in a single postseason during his tenure. However, they have won at least one playoff game in each of their last three appearances with him.

Jackson attributed the team's inability to reach the Super Bowl to timing, stating, "Things happen... It’s God’s time. It’s not my time, because if it was my time, we would’ve had seven Super Bowls in a row already." He referenced last season's near miss against the Bills, where a failed last-minute two-point conversion attempt (involving a dropped pass by Mark Andrews) ended their AFC Championship game hopes and led to Andrews receiving death threats.

In that 2023 AFC Championship loss to the Bills, Jackson performed well statistically (34/46 passing for 429 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; 120 rushing yards) but crucially threw an interception and lost a fumble. The article notes that Bills quarterback Josh Allen faces similar Super Bowl hurdles with his team. Both the Ravens and Bills have been consistently thwarted in the AFC by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who have reached the AFC Championship game every year since Jackson's rookie season (2018), advanced to five Super Bowls, and won three, including defeating Jackson and the Ravens in the 2023 AFC Championship.