Advertisement

John Harbaugh defends Lamar Jackson after playoff loss: ‘He’s not doubting himself’

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens saw their season end abruptly last week after the Tennessee Titans upset them at M&T Bank Stadium in the divisional rounda loss that few saw coming after the team’s outstanding year.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, however, is standing by his second-year quarterback.

“He’s 23 years old. He’s younger than Joe Burrow, OK?” Harbaugh said Friday, via ESPN. “So he’s got a pretty good head start right now. I mean, he’s along the way.”

Jackson led the Ravens to an impressive 14-2 regular season while throwing for 3,127 yards and a league-high 36 touchdowns. He ran for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns, too, which made him the first player in NFL history to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 in the same season.

[Watch NFL games on your phone for FREE with the Yahoo Sports app]

Undoubtedly, he is a favorite to win the league MVP award.

Jackson, though, is now 0-2 in playoff games following Saturday’s 28-12 loss — a game in which he threw two interceptions and fumbled once.

While that may be concerning for some, Harbaugh isn’t worried one bit.

“The Manning brothers combined to … they had five losses in their first five playoff games before they won one,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN. “[Joe] Montana, [Steve] Young and [Brett] Favre didn’t start a playoff game until their third season, [Drew] Brees and [Troy] Aikman until their fourth season and [Aaron] Rodgers until his fifth season. Interesting.”

Harbaugh said he met with Jackson “for a good while” on Wednesday, and that “he nailed it.”

Jackson, Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Harbaugh said, are all on the same page heading into the former Heisman Trophy winner’s third season in the league.

“I think he understands what it is to take responsibility,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN. “And he also has a great sense of urgency to be successful and what it takes to be successful.

“So no, Lamar doesn’t lack confidence. He’s not doubting himself, if that’s the implication that people are making.”

Despite his second playoff loss, John Harbaugh isn’t worried about quarterback Lamar Jackson. (AP/Nick Wass)
Despite his second playoff loss, John Harbaugh isn’t worried about quarterback Lamar Jackson. (AP/Nick Wass)

More from Yahoo Sports: