Ever since Lamar Jackson won his first MVP in 2019, he’s been labelled as overrated for his postseason failures. The second MVP in 2023 amplified that narrative. Jackson tends to hit back at haters on social media, and he’s done it again tonight.

“Can we all agree that Lamar Jackson is at the very least a little overrated,” a fan wrote on X, following the Ravens’ defeat to the Bengals.

“Sayless🤣,” Jackson replied in his usual “I don’t care” tone.

It’s not coming out of thin air. Since he entered the league, Jackson has been one of the most electric regular-season players in football. Two MVPs. Three First-Team All-Pro selections. A 75–28 regular-season record. That’s a 72.8% winning clip that puts him in rare company.

But his postseason resume hasn’t matched the shine. He’s 3–5 in the playoffs. No Super Bowl appearance. And until that changes, some people will stick to the “overrated” label, fair or not.

What often gets lost in the noise is how much of those playoff shortcomings fall on the team as a whole. Every year the Ravens have bowed out, it’s been the same pattern: breakdowns all over the roster. Drops. Injuries. Pass protection falling apart. Untimely turnovers. Jackson hasn’t been perfect, but he’s never been the sole reason they’ve been sent home.

And the talent? It’s there. The proof was in the early-season stretch before that Week 4 hamstring injury against Kansas City. He opened the season playing some of his best football: 22 yards, nine touchdowns, zero picks in the first three games. He was keeping a beat-up roster afloat almost by himself.

Things have slowed down a bit after all the hits he’s taken since then.

Are injuries derailing Lamar Jackson’s season?

It’s been a rough stretch for Lamar Jackson. The Ravens are trying to mount another playoff push now that the defense is finally healthy again, but their quarterback doesn’t look much like the guy who opened the season on fire. A big piece of that has to do with the steady stream of injuries he’s been fighting through.

Jackson won’t lean on any of that as an excuse. He never does. But the list is real: Baltimore held him out of Monday’s work with a toe issue, his third straight week with something nagging him. Firstly, it was the knee. After that, it was the ankle. Now it’s the toe. It’s been one thing after another.

Still, he waved away any suggestion that the injuries are slowing him down.

“No, I need to be more consistent,” the quarterback said.

He played through everything again this week, and you could see the strain. Jackson finished with 246 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception, and he never looked settled. He missed open receivers, sailed a few throws, and ended up responsible for three of Baltimore’s five turnovers. It was the kind of night where every mistake felt heavy.

And to be fair, nothing around him helped. The offensive line has been leaking for most of the year, and Thursday night was no exception. He was sacked three more times, hurried constantly, and forced to bail from collapsing pockets. He’s now been sacked 27 times this season. There are only so many plays a quarterback can make when he’s working under that kind of pressure.

His struggles are Baltimore’s struggles. His success is only possible if every single unit steps up. Until that happens, the overrated narrative, unfortunately, would never fade away.