It's weird to write this because candidly I was rooting for the Bills in that game - I find their sad-sack bridesmaid story (in the Mahones era) more compelling than the Ravens. But it's a fickle preference - if the Bills pull this off and slay the Mahomes dragon and win the Super Bowl this year, I'm all for the Ravens winning next year.
Anyway, I've written in the past that I have a soft spot for the Ravens. This didn't go away, but peaked very long ago. Granted, it was still in the Harbaugh era, but there is no real comparison between the 2008-2012 Ravens and the 2019-2024 Ravens except for the coach. That all said, I have a soft spot for teams that are consistently great but can't break through. I love to see the patience rewarded, because I've lived through people pillorying the Colts year after year for the same failing.
It was stupid then, it is stupid now. Yes, it is undoubtedly true that Lamar has had poor performances, for him, in the playoffs. He's lost four playoff games as a favorite (2018, 2019, 2023, 2024), and in those games he's turned it over 1+ times in all of them. This is quite similar to Peyton, who lost as a favorite in 1999, 2000, 2002, and a slight underdog in 2003, 2004. Peyton actually took his record to 3-6 after losing as a big favorite in 2005 to the Steelers, before of course his team won four straight in 2006, with easily the worst Colts team of that mini-run. Honestly, what's most disheartening for me for Lamar is that when Peyton did win in 2006, taking his playoff record to 7-6, having a ring finally, people didn't forget - the goalposts moved. They will always move for guys like Lamar (or Peyton before him).
Lamar is so talented, so incredible. He was knocked by so many coming in and put together one of the great seasons of all time in 2019 in just his 2nd year. We know all have somehow decided to look back and say "he's grown so much since then" but I think that underrates just how goiod 2019 Lamar was, and that 2019 Ravens team was. And then they had a disaster in the playoffs. They racked up 500+ yards but made key mistakes.
I hate that Lamar is being shamed for these games and failings, because at the end of the day the regular season matters. The fact Lamar has given us all so much joy, so many highlights, so many absurd plays and performances should matter. Years ago I talked about the concept of a "happy Sunday". This wasn't my concept, ti was an old Colts blogger and friend Nate Dunlevy's theory - that the real goal of a football team is to give you more happy Sunday's than sad ones. For 16 (then) and 17 (now) Sundays (or Mondays, Thursdays) we're watching our respective teams hoping to be happy off of a win or sad off of a loss. For seven straight years, Peyton led the Colts to at least twelve Happy Sundays (2003-2009). We didn't realize at the time just how meaningful that was.
Lamar has done the same. Few teams have had six consecutive years with more highs than the 2019-2024 Ravens. Granted, Lamar got hurt for parts of 2021 and 2022 which resulted in missing the playoffs (2021) and losing the Wild Card wiht a backup (2022), so if we limit it to 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024 (Lamar's healthy seasons) we have a 50-16 record, and two MVP seasons (likely to be three). You know what this is similar to? A lot of things.
First, we can draw comparison to the 2002-2005 Colts, who went 48-16 in those seasons, where Manning won two MVPs, but never reached the Super Bowl. Then we can compare to, wait for it, the 2010-2013 Patriots - who went 51-13 and didn't. Of course, that group did reach a Super Bowl in 2011, and had the pedigree from a very different Patriots team, but they did lose as a big favorite twice (2010, 2012), and had their worst games in teh playoffs. Hell, you can look at the 2008-2011 Ravens, who went 44-20 but never reached a Super Bowl. These things happen.
The Ravens came out today and mentioned that they still believe in Lamar, and are certain that they will win a Super Bowl with him. I'm glad that they're taking this head on, because they probably will. Basically, the only comparable to Lamar that never won a Super Bowl is Dan Marino. What I mean is that there is no other QB that never won a Super Bowl that is better than Lamar. That shoudl give us confidence, but then we ask what needs to change.
While I want to quickly say the answer is "nothing", we can talk about what could get better. They can stop fumbling... but more importantly they can maybe cause some fumbles. The Ravens have admittedly turned it over a good amount in their playoff losses, but what they haven't done is force turnovers. But realistically, what has to change is the luck just falling their way for once. That's what happened say for the Ravens in 2012 (the Rahim Moore misplay), or the Patriots in 2014 (the Malcolm Butler play). If you;re good enough year after year at some point things just turn your way for once.
It isn't even my following of Peyton that makes me say this. Across all sports we've often had times in the 2000s where a team oft criticized for failing too early too often in the playoffs finally did win one. In hockey you have the 2018 Capitals (Ovechkin winning after nine trips to the playoffs in the Ovechkin era without making the Conference Final), the 2019 Blues (six playoff tirps in seven years before). Flip to basketball and we have the 2021 Bucks or 2023 Nuggets. Sooner or later, it hits your way.
I hope that happens for Lamar. I've long had a stance that I want every all time great to win one ring. Lamar is undoubtedly an all time great at this point, that's what three MVPs will do for you. With teh Ravens itself, Ed Reed was an all time great who finally got his ring in 2012. I already talked about Ovehckin. I hope Lamar's time comes calling. I hope also people treat him winning a ring differently than they did Peyton - I hope the goalposts don't move this time. His time will come, and I hope it's glorious.
