New England Patriots Legend Harshly Goes Off On Baltimore Ravens And Lamar Jackson Prior To 2024 NFL Season

The New England Patriots made many new rivals during their age of dominance in the NFL, especially in the AFC. One of these rivalries was with the Baltimore Ravens, who were one of just two other AFC teams to win multiple Super Bowl titles while Tom Brady and the Patriots won six.

Of course, the Patriots have entered a new era sans Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. As they begin their rebuild, though, the hard feeling formed during their years of consistent winning live on.

This was made abundantly clear last weekend when Patriots legend Julian Edelman went off of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens during a pre-game broadcast of a game between the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.

Former New England Patriots Wide Receiver Julian Edelman Calls Out Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens

Jul 27, 2024; Owings Mill , MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) goes through drill during the afternoon session of training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Ravens, of course, are coming off of a 13-4 season in which the won the AFC North but fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Jackson was the NFL MVP last season, too, and many thought that they had the best chance of defeating Kansas City in the postseason.

It did not happen, and the Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl. Now, Kansas City is poised to do something that Edelman’s Patriots teams could not: win three in a row.

During the pre-game broadcast on August 18, Edelman said, “It’s not up to the Chiefs. We all know what the Chiefs are. They got Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, (Steve) Spanguolo, Chris Jones and everyone. It’s up to everyone else. We need to see a Joe Burrow come out and do something, stay healthy and start fast. See Lamar Jackson, who’s been on a milk carton in the playoffs. He’s been missing.”

Indeed, the Ravens’ lack of success in the NFL Playoffs have earned them a great deal of criticism from all over the sports media world, and Jackson is a common target.

Does Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson Deserve NFL Playoffs Criticism?

Jan 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws the ball past Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) during the first half in the AFC Championship football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Since becoming Baltimore’s starting quarterback, Jackson has led the Ravens to a 58-19 regular season record in games in which he plays, completing 64.5% of his passes for 15,887 yards, 125 touchdowns, 45 interceptions, and a passer rating of 98.0.

One of his most dynamic qualities, though, is his ability to run, and he has amassed 5,258 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns throughout his career, eclipsing 1,000 yards in a season twice.

In the postseason, however, the Ravens have a 2-4 record with Jackson under center. In those six games, he has a 57.4% completion percentage and a 75.7 passer rating. He also has as many interceptions (six) as he does touchdowns.

Until he performs better and leads Baltimore to the Super Bowl, these criticisms will likely continue to follow him. Perhaps 2024 will be the year that he finally breaks through in the postseason.