Bad injury news came in the form of Zay Flowers for the Baltimore Ravens. Good news surfaced in the presence of Kyle Hamilton. However, the Ravens have a fatal flaw that will doom them in the 2025 playoffs: Lamar Jackson.

Longtime rival Pittsburgh stands in the way of the Ravens advancing to the divisional round. Baltimore lost 18-16 to the Steelers in the first meeting but bounced back for a dominant 34-17 win three weeks ago.

The Ravens enter as a favorite against the Steelers, but the same thing that has stopped them before will end their season once again. Jackson won’t be able to make enough big plays to carry the team to the big game.

QB Lamar Jackson is Ravens’ fatal flaw

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) is forced outbounds by Cleveland Browns linebacker Winston Reid (59) during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium.
Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

He is the only multiple NFL MVP who has not won a Super Bowl. And Jackson hasn’t even gotten there. That’s a heavy internal anvil to carry around in this competitive environment.

Since 2018, Jackson has the NFL's fourth-best regular-season record at 70-24 (.745). However, he is tied for the worst postseason mark at 2-4 (.333). In the playoffs, Jackson has produced as many turnovers (6 interceptions, 3 lost fumbles) as touchdowns (9). Yes, that’s not good.

Jackson said he got over-amped in previous playoff encounters, according to espn.com.

“I'd just be too excited,” Jackson said. “That's all. Too antsy. I'm seeing things before it happened, like, ‘Oh, I got to calm myself down.' But just being more experienced, I've found a way to balance it out.”

But this time, Jackson has a better offensive supporting cast. Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson said, “”Now, Lamar doesn't have to be Superman.”

Who sides with, against, Lamar Jackson

You don’t have to look far to find people who question Jackson’s ability to win in the postseason. At the head of the list is a familiar talking head in First Take’s Stephen A. Smith.

“Thirty-two percent of completion of his passes under pressure his postseason career,” Smith said. “Five or six playoff games that he’s played in, they’ve scored under 20 points. You’re talking about that Lamar Jackson that we’ve seen play incredibly well during the regular season. But all of a sudden in the postseason he doesn’t seem to be the same guy.

“I understand looking at his regular season. If you say based on what we’ve seen in the regular season this is our belief in him. But considering the fact he has been great in the regular season before, but he hasn’t been great in the postseason, don’t I, and don’t others, reserve the right to say I’ll see it when I believe it.”

However, let’s give Jackson the benefit of the doubt, from Dan Orlovsky.

“Most confident I’ve ever been in Lamar Jackson and the Ravens,” Orlovesky said. “It’s the best season Lamar has ever had. There’s no deabte about that. Second thing is, he finally has a true running mate both behind him (Derrick Henry) and next to him (Zay Flowers). I’ve never been more confident in Lamar’s mindset to get it done. This is most complete and balanced team Lamar has ever had.”

Ravens fans hope to make a difference this time

One thing the Ravens won’t have to worry about is an excited group of fans for their postseason opener. With it being a rivalry game in the playoffs, excitement will be at a high level, said defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, according to baltimoreravens.com.

“It's going to be a different environment,” Madubuike said. “This is the first time we're hosting Pittsburgh in Baltimore in a playoff game, so it's going to be high energy.

“Everybody needs to come out and bring whatever you've got to bring to be as rowdy as possible, because the energy's going to be electric, and we're going to feed off that, and we're going to play to that standard that we can, and we know we can. So, it's going to be exciting.”

John Harbaugh looking for any edge his team can get

Ravens head coach Joh Harbaugh said the cold temperatures will play into the mix as well.

“The weather may drive the atmosphere, too,” Harbaugh said. “It's going to be a great environment. I expect our fans to be how they are; they'll be into it, they'll be fired up, it's going to be a night game, it's going to be cold, it's going to be dark, and our team is going to try to play lights out.”

Derrick Henry agreed, “”The fans are just as locked in as we are, and we're definitely going to need that on Saturday. Bring your coats, your blankets, your hot chocolate, coffee – whatever you need to be loud – and we're going to need it loud in that stadium. We're going to need that energy. We're need the fans to (be) intense, for sure, on Saturday.”

Playing at home will be a big deal for the Ravens. And if Jackson is going to erase the words of his playoff critics, a good game at home is the best place to start. Jackson needs to excel against the Steelers, a team he has often struggled with during his career.