The Baltimore Ravens are 0-2 to start the 2024 season, with back-to-back disappointing losses.
The Ravens came up just short against the Chiefs in Week 1, nearly pulling off what would've been a road upset against the reigning champions.
Week 2 was an uglier loss, as the Ravens blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead to the Las Vegas Raiders , giving up 13 unanswered points to lose, 26-23.
There are myriad reasons for the poor start, from a shaky offensive line, to porous pass defense, to poor game management by John Harbaugh.
However, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is laying the blame on quarterback Lamar Jackson. Smith argued on "First Take" on Monday that a quarterback with as much acclaim as Jackson needs to come through in big moments.
"I'm gonna look at this and put a lot of it on Lamar Jackson," Smith said.
"I'm sorry, fellas, isn't he the two-time league MVP?"
Smith continued.
"You have a situation where you have a 10-point lead with 12 minutes left and yet again, you can't hold onto it. And, oh, by the way, the Baltimore Ravens, for the first time in Lamar Jackson's career, have lost three straight games: AFC Championship game and then Games 1 and 2 of this season. The man hasn't won his last three starts — when are we gonna look at that?
"You got your [contract], you got your MVP stature. You the man. Go out there and figure it out. It's really that simple. I'm not saying he has to go out there and do it by himself, because we know better. But the reality is the game was there for you to win. You had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter with 12 minutes left ... How many fourth quarter leads are you going to lose? That's a legitimate question I think he needs to answer."
Though Jackson has played well overall to start the year, Smith's criticism isn't without merit.
In Week 1 against the Chiefs, Jackson badly missed two throws in the end zone in the final seconds as the Ravens attempted to tie or win the game. Jackson eventually connected with Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone, but Likely's toe was out of bounds.
In the collapse against the Raiders, Jackson and the offense stalled out on back-to-back drives, including one three-and-out, as the Raiders pulled off the comeback. While poor blocking from the offensive line and a penalty from Derrick Henry didn't help, Jackson also didn't make the critical throws to keep the drives alive and move the ball down the field.
Harbaugh on Monday defended Jackson, saying Jackson has been the Ravens' best overall player and was doing a good job directing the offense.
While it may not be fair to place the blame on Jackson, it is fair to note that he has come up short in big moments over the first two weeks.
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