Baltimore Ravens’ bid for the Super Bowl 58 came to an end after the team lost to the Chiefs by 7 points in the AFC 2024 Championship. In the aftermath of the loss, fans and experts are dissecting the team to figure out who’s at fault for the disastrous loss. And Shannon Sharpe’s comments on First Take make it clear he attributes the loss to their MVP quarterback.

Per Sharpe, Lamar Jackson’s performance cost the Ravens on Sunday. Throughout the regular season,  Jackson has struggled mightily against Kansas City’s defense. The loss, his fourth in the playoffs since being named a starting quarterback in 2018, has Baltimore fans, including Sharper, questioning his prowess.

Sharpe was not afraid to call out Jackson’s poor play-calling, questioning, “Shouldn’t we ask Lamar what we ask of our other MVPs?”. To make his point, he further took a shot at Peyton Manning, saying, “Has Peyton Manning ever won a game in the playoffs in which the running game wasn’t there? Of course. Because that’s what those guys get paid for, and that’s why we look at them as great.” 

When a fan took the burning jibe seriously, jokingly claiming that Jackson had affected Sharpe on a personal level, Sharpe stayed true to his statements, highlighting that Sharpe himself had built bridges of praise for Manning when he outperformed everyone in the regular season and then ‘obliterated’ him when he did not perform well in the post-season. Staying true to his comments when questioned by fans, he reiterated, “He [Peyton] absolutely received same post season criticism. Go bck and look when Colts lost 41-0 2 jets. His kicker even criticized him.”

Almost as a conclusive verdict for the chaos, Sharpe wrote in capital letters that “LAMAR DID NOT PLAY WELL SUNDAY. The End.” While Shannon Sharpe’s words might come off as tough, most Ravens’ fans stand in solidarity with him after witnessing the QB’s performance during the showdown against the Chiefs.

Coach Harbaugh or QB Jackson – who’s at fault for the AFC championship loss?

As an MVP, the expectations were set high for Lamar Jackson. Hence, when Jackson scored only 272 yards, with 20 completions from 37 attempts, it was only natural for the fans to be infuriated. This also made up for his season-worst completion percentage of 54.1%, per ESPN. Despite the disappointing performance, Coach John Harbaugh did not deride his QB, saying, saying, “He fought. He went out there and gave it everything he had, so I don’t think that’s anything that I’d be disappointed in.” 

READ ALSO: 2024 AFC Championship: Will Jim Harbaugh Turn Up to Support Brother John as Kansas City Chiefs Take on the Baltimore Ravens?

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While many fans are ready to blame Jackson, Harbaugh is not completely blameless for the loss either. The Ravens underperformed across the board during the AFC Championship Game. One easy example of this was the poorly coached sequence right before the two-minute warning that gave the Chiefs the ball back to go up 17-7 before the half.

What effect this game will have on the futures of Head Coach Harbaugh and star quarterback Lamar Jackson with the Ravens remains to be seen. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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