The Ravens must continue to ride 2018 with Lamar Jackson
Joe Flacco may finally be healthy enough to return to the field, but the Ravens must continue to let Lamar Jackson lead the charge to the playoffs.
It was announced Wednesday that the Baltimore Ravens intend to have rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson continue starting at quarterback for the team. This news comes despite the fact that Joe Flacco will be returning to the line-up, after being on the mend since week 10 with a hip injury.
For some, this comes as relieving news while for others it is infuriating. Regardless of which side of the Jackson-vs-Flacco debate you are on, it’s important to realize that the Ravens front office is focused on the future of their franchise. It makes the most logical sense that the team would roll with the young quarterback while he’s comfortable. It could hurt his confidence if Baltimore opted to pull him now and give him an impression that he’s seen entirely as a back-up.
It goes beyond that, however. Truth be told, the Baltimore Ravens have come to the realization that Lamar Jackson gives the Ravens its best chance for a playoff run.
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Maybe this comes as a shock to some, but it truly is a reality that the team understands. Yes, Joe Flacco has had tons of playoff success, that includes arguably the greatest post-season run in NFL history, as well as a Super Bowl XLVII championship and MVP title. However, that was back in 2012. That might as well be ancient history in sport’s time.
Since then, Baltimore has had minimal success getting to the post-season, let alone winning games in it. With just one appearance since 2012 (being 2014), it is clear that the then-franchise quarterback Joe Flacco just wasn’t making the cut. It could easily be argued thar Flacco, in fact, hindered the Ravens team and kept them out of the playoffs since then. This makes it fairly obvious as to why Lamar Jackson is here to stay.
Since the team’s bye week, the Ravens are 3-1, with their sole loss coming in a tightly-contested overtime game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. The offense is as explosive as it’s ever been in franchise history. So long as the defense and special teams hold their side of the bargain, and thus far they have, there’s little reason to think that Baltimore can’t make the playoffs this season. This statement will only remain true as long as Lamar Jackson remains the starting quarterback.
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Joe Flacco will be forever cherished by fans for his playoff performances, but it’s time to move forward. The Ravens recognized this when they named Lamar Jackson the starter despite having Flacco return from injury. It’s time that the rest of the fan-base hops on board with this idea, as Jackson won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.