Stephen A. Smith pressures Lamar Jackson to not “wet the bed” against playoff newcomer CJ Stroud
This weekend, the first NFL playoff game will feature a head-to-head battle between Lamar Jackson and CJ Stroud, as the Baltimore Ravens host the Houston Texans.
This will be the first of four games played this weekend with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. in Baltimore.
Last week, the Texans upset the Cleveland Browns at home and won at ease with a 45-14 scoreline. The Ravens enjoyed the week off as they earned a first-round bye with the No. 1 seed.
As the Ravens prepare to host the Texans, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith hopes Jackson doesn't "wet the bed" like Dak Prescott did with the Cowboys this past weekend. Smith said Jackson will have a lot of pressure heading into Saturday's game:
"The way Lamar Jackson has looked and what have you, this is not the time to wet the bed or be something less than what we know you are. And that's where the pressure comes from. And I didn't even bring up the bag. The 260 million he got, all right, that they paid up to him and what have you. You got to get it done."
He continued:
"And I'm looking at this few as teams point per games in playoff starts since the 1970 merger, Andy Dalton at number one with 10.8 points per game, Steve DeBerg at 11.8 points per game, Lamar Jackson at 13 points a game.
"And so I'm looking at it from that perspective. And that's the third lowest playoff passer rating 68.3 over the last 20 years, behind only Andy Dalton and Rex Grossman. When I see numbers like that and I see stats like that, right?"
What is Lamar Jackson's playoff record?
Lamar Jackson has made the postseason four times in his NFL career but has only played in three postseasons due to being hurt last season.
In his career, he has a 1-3 record in four playoff games. In 2018 and 2019, the Ravens failed to pick up a win in the postseason. Jackson completed 62-of-107 passes for 559 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
He picked up his first career playoff win in the 2020 postseason but lost in the second round. After suffering injuries in the 2022 season, Jackson was unable to play for the Ravens in the postseason.
In four games, he has a passer rating of 68.3. Jackson will have a chance to improve his postseason numbers this Saturday against a tough Houston Texans team.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Stephen A. Smith, First Take, and H/T Sportskeeda.