Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson doesn't want to hear about no favoritism for his squad entering the playoffs. He's been the underdog for all of the season and although that changed for the game against the Dolphins, only the second one in which oddsmakers favored the Flock, Jackson is more comfortable boasting the "underdog" label.
Lamar knows his team better than anyone, and he let everybody know about it on Sunday when he made a hella strong statement about the current Ravens: "We have a bunch of guys who got things to prove."
Lamar and the @Ravens thrive as underdogs 🐶 pic.twitter.com/jGaGBs1hpQ
— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2024
Talk about the underdog mentality, the ruthless and relentless drive, and the fight these guys have put on since the ball got rolling for the first time in early September up to the final game of December that served them well to clinch the no. 1 seed in the AFC and a very-deserved postseason bye week.
"I believe we got a bunch of guys who’s been doubted. A bunch of guys who got things to prove on our team on both sides of the ball, so I believe in time we’re the underdogs, we going to always rise to the occasion, but we got to stay locked in to do that."Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens QB
Jackson, even though he's dominated the league all season log, wasn't the favorite to win the MVP award until about two weeks ago, and he needed to deal with 49ers QB Brock Purdy and then slash the Miami Dolphins a week later to finally earn the right to lead the race for the award with a sizable margin.
The comments made by Jackson, truth be told, made all of the sense. Not only was Lamar disrespected by pundits and bettors, but he's also playing next to a cast of misfits and veterans that nobody wanted earlier this year.
Odell Beckham Jr. was coming off a long-term injury but the Ravens gave him a chance. The Browns released Jadeveon Clowney last year and Baltimore offered him a starting role in their defense. Kyle Van Noy, Melvin Gordon, Ronald Darby, etc... are some other veterans signed by the Flock and thriving, proving people wrong week in and week out.
"We’ve been an underdog all season, even in the offseason," Lamar told the media on Sunday, per William C. Rhoden of Andscape. "We’d like to keep it that way and just keep that on our mindset we don’t fall into the narrative of things changing."
The 2019 unanimous MVP will enter the playoffs as the clear-cut favorite to win his second Most Valuable Player trophy, and the Ravens will try to add a third Super Bowl to their case in February if all goes according to plan under the guidance of Lamar.