Chris Broussard gives honest assessment of Ravens' Super Bowl window with Lamar Jackson after meltdown vs. Bills
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens were touted as favorites to take down the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl next month. However, they couldn't even make it past the Divisional Round, as Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills beat them 27-25 in a thriller, ending their campaign.
The 2024 Ravens roster was arguably the best the team had assembled since drafting Jackson, and their failure to advance as far as they did last season prompted doubts about the quarterback's ability to lead the team to the promised land. However, his teammate Patrick Ricard downplayed these concerns, claiming that Baltimore winning the Super Bowl with the reigning MVP is inevitable — a sentiment shared by Chris Broussard.
On "First Things First," the analyst claimed that the Ravens will remain contenders as long as they have Jackson under center and that they'll bounce back from the loss to the Bills, becoming a force to be reckoned with next season. He said:
"As long as you got Lamar, the window's open. And when you look at this team, the offensive line was good and could get better. I know Ronnie Stanley is a free agent... Obviously, you got the running back set. I think Derek Henry will be fine next year. Receivers are fine, yeah, I'd like to add somebody, maybe through the draft, but another explosive receiver, defense, I think, is going to get better."
Chris Broussard implores Lamar Jackson to avoid playing hero ball
While tight end Mark Andrews took the brunt of the blame for the loss due to his drop on the Ravens' final play of the season, Chris Broussard, like Lamar Jackson, noted that the two turnovers the quarterback committed in the first half were just as costly and unnecessary.
He emphasized that both the quarterback and the coaching staff need to move away from the mindset that Jackson must make a big play on every snap. Instead, they should place more trust in his teammates. The analyst added:
"Lamar just has to realize, 'You don't have to make every play spectacular in the playoffs.'... That's what they did in Buffalo. He's not the MVP, but they had Josh Allen do less. And I think there's almost this tug of war, maybe its subconsciously. Now that they have Derrick Henry, do we let him outshine Lamar? I know that's not what they are thinking, but it's like why didn't you give him the rock more? If you win Lamar's going to get credit. Period."
Jackson and the Ravens will now have to endure the disappointment of their gut-wrenching season-ending loss to the Bills. They'll need to wait another year for a chance to end their long wait to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.