The Ravens couldn't complete their big fourth-quarter comeback in Sunday's 23-17 home wild-card loss to the Chargers.
Although the short-term result is elimination from the AFC playoffs, it's a long-term win for Lamar Jackson and coach John Harbaugh.
While Jackson was fighting through the worst football of his rookie season for three quarters, shame on the Baltimore boo-birds for thinking Harbaugh should have benched him for Joe Flacco. Instead, they should further appreciate Harbaugh for resisting the temptation to dust off the former Super Bowl MVP for one last, wasted postseason hurrah.
Jackson made his "running quarterback only" doubters look silly and rewarded Harbaugh's faith in him by passing the Ravens right back into a final-possession game. In the end, Jackson, despite being under siege by the Chargers' pass rush (seven sacks) and having zero support from the traditional running game, outran everyone else in the game and out-passed Chargers counterpart Philip Rivers.
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Jackson's elusiveness kept the Ravens alive in a game in which they would have been further buried with Flacco. Remember, Jackson was never supposed to start a single game this season, touted as the most raw first-round quarterback in the 2018 draft class.
The Ravens would have been sitting at home and watching the Steelers host the Chargers, instead, if it were not for Jackson. Harbaugh made the right call in sticking with Jackson when Flacco was healthy enough to play in early December. Not pulling him in early January was even a bigger statement.
The Ravens didn't use smoke and mirrors en route to a 6-1 record with Jackson as starter during the regular season. Baltimore's adjustment to the best of Jackson's current skill set — a lot of designed runs, a lot of zone reads — coupled with its rededication to a power running game with Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon, was brilliant. The physicality, toughness and newfound relentlessness of the offense fed more energy into the similar strengths of the defense.
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While the offense was down to its last few embers in a pass-happy approach with Flacco, Jackson created a spark that became an inferno. Also consider that Jackson began the season as a gadget player; he was deployed mostly as a runner and a few futile times as a receiver.
It didn't take long for Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen to get their expected chances to start most of the season. Jackson needed a few breaks — including the injury to Flacco — to get his deserved shot.
Go figure that Harbaugh, with a Super Bowl ring and 10 playoff victories over 11 seasons on his résumé, had one of his best coaching moments in playoff defeat. With a potential contract extension in the balance, Harbaugh was aware that the promise of his future and that of the Ravens is tied to Jackson. The unwavering confidence Harbaugh showed in Jackson against the Chargers will carry into Jackson's first full NFL offseason as the unquestioned starter.
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The Ravens already know they have a pretty special floor with Jackson, and with plenty of film of his pocket passing struggles to examine, he will learn and get better. The team also has a better understanding of how to get better around him. These were all unexpected bonuses on an unlikely stretch run to the AFC North title.
Harbaugh still saw his team lose the game, but there's no doubt he won in lifting Jackson and all the teammates that rallied so well behind him for the past half season. The Ravens coach knows a little something about the importance of sustained success — so it's no surprise he's set up his new quarterback to have more of it.
