OTL: The Bar is Set

28.

That’s a rather interesting number. Trent Dilfer was 28 years old when he quarterbacked the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV. Joe Flacco was 28 years old when he won his Lombardi.

Lamar Jackson, of course, just turned 28 two days ago. I’m a big believer in fate, and it seems that Lamar is knocking on its door.

And yet, there’s a problem.

It feels as if the Ravens’ superstar should already have a ring, if not multiple. He’s been in the league for the better part of a decade and he doesn’t have one yet? How did this happen?

Inexperience (and coaching malpractice) against Los Angeles. A Tennessee ambush. Horrendous conditions in Buffalo. A few seasons lost due to injury, and then Kansas City. My goodness, that loss to the Chargers in January 2019 feels like forever ago, doesn’t it?

To be clear, I’m not blaming the lack of championships solely on Lamar. His performances in January have been a factor – a large one – but not the defining factor. Still, he needs to play his best football for the next month, and that’s something we haven’t seen him do when the Ravens have tasted the cold sting of elimination in the playoffs. I expect that from him because he’s the most valuable player in this league, and he’s paid like it. Lamar’s postseason legacy is a chapter that is largely left unfinished, and he has a golden opportunity to pick up a pen and start writing.

What better team for it all to start against than the Pittsburgh Steelers? They’re a team that has lost four in a row. They’re a team the Ravens, finally, have once again shown they’re capable of beating. Most importantly, they’re a team that’s starting a quarterback who is vastly inferior to Lamar Jackson at this stage of their respective careers. There are no excuses if things go poorly on Saturday night. You’ve got home field. You’ve got the presumptive MVP. You’ve got a defense that’s figured it out.

All the Steelers have, my friends, is mind games:

Asked if they will use Justin Fields, #Steelers OC Arthur Smith said it’s burn the boats time pic.twitter.com/c9X7eISdxb

— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) January 8, 2025

They don’t even know who the best QB on their roster is. Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, it doesn’t matter.

Go into the Bank in primetime and get this January started off the right way. Go get Lombardi No. 3.

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