Ravens' Lamar Jackson 'Antsy' Over Return to Playoffs
Lamar Jackson has waited over 1,000 days to take the field in an NFL playoff game. Twenty more should be no problem.
Per Clifton Brown and Ryan Mink on the team's official site, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback described himself as "hyped" and "antsy" for the team's 2024 postseason debut. Baltimore (13-4) faces the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional round opener on Saturday late afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium (4:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN).
"We got some time off to regroup and lock back in," Jackson said. "(I'm) hyped. I'm antsy."
USA TODAY SPORTS
That's hardly a surprise at Jackson's professional resume: the one legitimate gripe critics could have with his professional career to date is his lack of playoff success.
Jackson has posted a 1-3 record in four playoff starts and he has never posted a passer rating better than 78.8 in any stage of the quartet. His last experience in the 2021 tournament was a bittersweet ride: Jackson memorably put up 136 rushing yards and a score in a Wild Card upset win in Tennessee but mustered only 196 before leaving due to an injury in the Divisional loss to Buffalo.
Redemption has been a long time coming. Baltimore surprisingly missed the playoffs in the ensuing season before further medical woes kept him out of last season's cameo in Cincinnati. Backup Tyler Huntley put forth a respectable effort in relief but it wasn't enough to stop the defending conference champions, who escaped with a 24-17 victory.
By the time Saturday's game kicks off, Jackson will take the field for the first time in nearly three full weeks. Prior to the Ravens' first-round bye, Jackson was kept on the sidelines for the regular season finale against Pittsburgh. That game was rendered meaningless from a purple perspective by a five-touchdown tally for Jackson in a 56-19 shellacking of Miami on New Year's Eve, one that clinched the top-seed honors
Jackson almost wouldn't have minded playing over the weekend thanks to the Ravens' six-game winning streak heading into the Week 18 conclusion.
"That's the thing about that bye week," Jackson said. "I believe we were getting into a groove, more and more dialed in. It is what it is. Coach (John) Harbaugh still made us practice like we were preparing for a game. I believe we will still be ready."
