Phil and Matt Simms Reveal What Went Wrong With Lamar Jackson in the AFC Championship
Despite the Baltimore Ravens being the #1 team in the AFC in 2023, they still couldn't find a way to make it to the big show. Lamar Jackson and company were dynamic all season, but they failed to show up when it mattered.
Taking down the reigning Super Bowl champs was never going to be easy, but Jackson and Ravens OC Todd Monken did not have a good plan in place. Phil and Mat Simms broke it all down on Simms Complete.
"But, you know, overall, when you watch the game, man, Lamar had a lot of time to throw the ball. Yeah. Even on some of the blitzes, I mean that that O-line of the Baltimore Ravens it's it's it's it was one of the top three in the NFL. Right. And they showed in that game I thought they played like it they gave him plenty of time to throw and hey the ring whatever."
via Phil Simms, Simms Complete
Simms alluded to the fact that Jackson should have no excuses for getting a pass out when the offensive line for the Ravens is one of the best in the league. Often, Jackson would sit in the pocket for multiple seconds at a time.
"And I think this is really a telling sign to in a lot of ways of just kind of, you know, Lamar as a human being. I think he did kind of feel the pressure of obviously the big moment for for him as a personal moment in his career. And that's natural. There's nothing wrong with that at all. You know, I think what the problem to me was is that, you know, that your player feels that way."
via Matt Simms, Simms Complete
Jackson is 27 years old and has spent six years in the league. One of those five doesn't count as much as the rest, as he was not the starter initially. However, it's not an excuse, and Jackson needs to show up in big moments.
"It's up to the coach to help the player get integrated into the game so he feels comfortable. Yeah. And I feel like Todd Monken in that regard did not do a very good job of that. I feel like they didn't have enough just game plan-specific plays to say, we're going to get him an easy completion here. We're going to easy screen throw here, you know."
via Matt Simms, Simms Complete
Part of the blame could fall on Ravens OC Todd Monken for not putting together a more cohesive plan for Jackson and the offense to accomplish. Matt Simms is right in that there should been more of an emphasis on moving the chains versus the bigger plays.
Despite being an AFC powerhouse in 2023, Jackson and the Ravens will have to retool their game plan in 2024 and figure out a way to finally make it to the big game.
