Lamar Jackson not panicking despite Ravens' first 0-2 start in nearly a decade
The Baltimore Ravens haven't started a season 0-2 since 2015. They now sit at the bottom of the AFC North. Earlier this year, they were at the top and played against the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC title.
In their season opener, they lost 27-20 to the Chiefs. It was a close defeat as Zay Flowers' game-tying touchdown was overturned after it emerged that one of his toes was out of bounds.
The defeat against the Las Vegas Raiders was something of a heartbreak as the team was leading 23-20 right up till the fourth quarter. They blew their lead and the Raiders clinched victory from the jaws of defeat.
While speaking to reporters after Wednesday's practice session, Lamar Jackson expressed confidence in himself and his team.
"We're not moping around," Jackson said. ... "Our guys are not doubting each other. ... We have to go out there and get it. We have to make the fan base happy [and] have to make ourselves happy, but it starts in practice."
He refused to press the panic button.
"I believe we're right there. Like I said, it's the small things we're messing up, and it's causing us to lose those [games]. It's turning into big things, because we're losing our games."
Lamar Jackson will face the Dallas Cowboys on SNF
The Ravens don't have an easy team to play in the upcoming week. On Sunday Night Football, they'll face the Dallas Cowboys at their home stadium. The Cowboys are also coming off a defeat but are 1-1, unlike the Ravens.
Regarding the importance of winning the Cowboys game, ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote:
"Baltimore actually lost three straight in the middle of the 2020 season and made it to the postseason, but it needed to win out over its five subsequent games to get there."
Following that, Lamar Jackson and the team will have to take on the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, Jackson assured fans that they'll be back on their feet.
"We had one of the best days of practice in this season today," Jackson said on Wednesday.
Earlier, after the Raiders defeat, coach John Harbaugh also calmed fans' apprehensions:
"We have to take care of our stuff, take care of our business [and] take care of our work. We know that we're a good football team, and we're going to go keep getting better and better and better and define the season by the way we play."
Only Sunday will tell if Ravens fans and players need to hit the panic button.