Lamar Jackson's greatness is hard to encapsulate. On one hand, he is the most electric player the league has ever seen and is a clear top-three quarterback right now (if not No. 1). On the other, his lack of postseason success is going to define his career until he finally gets over the hump (fairly or not). We're going to take a look at the latter.
Jackson's playoff success, or lack thereof, is the only thing standing in his way. The narrative around him has been the same: He can't win in the playoffs. While he hasn't dominated the playoffs like he has the regular season, it's given the anti-Lamar Jackson crew an excuse to diminish his greatness. They resort to calling him a running back, a choke artist, a loser. His playoff losses will cast a shadow over him throughout his career, but to completely ignore his greatness would be horrifically irresponsible.
Especially when he’s been one of the most clutch quarterbacks in football since 2020. It’s almost like the people yelling the loudest haven’t actually watched him play.
Lamar Jackson is one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the NFL
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, Jackson ranks third in the NFL in EPA per dropback when trailing in the final five minutes of games since 2020—only behind Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. Just ahead of guys named Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes:
"Jackson has thrived in late-game situations using both his legs and arm to erase deficits and lead Baltimore to comeback wins in dramatic fashion," Sharp said.
We’ve seen Jackson lead double-digit comebacks, perfect fourth quarters, walk-off wins, and completely flip games with a single play. Yet the narrative rarely shifts. It’s always about what he hasn’t done instead of what he's actually doing. And what he keeps doing is showing up in the clutch, whether you like it or not.
Take the Divisional Round loss to the Bills as a prime example. Down 27-19 with 3:29 remaining, Jackson led a drive that covered 88 yards in under two minutes, hitting tight windows and putting the team on his back. He capped it with a 24-yard touchdown strike to Isaiah Likely—then nearly tied the game with a two-point try to Mark Andrews.
One drive. One opportunity. And he gave them every shot to force overtime.
That doesn’t get filed under “choke artist.” Yes, he was only in that position because of some costly turnovers early. But that doesn't make what he did on the final drive any less impressive. That’s a franchise player refusing to go quietly.
Jackson still needs that Super Bowl. That’s the missing piece. But if you’re ignoring how consistently he delivers in the biggest moments—especially late in games—you’re not critiquing him in good faith. You’re just holding a grudge. Because he's 3-5 in the playoffs, he'll be mistakenly miscast as not clutch. And that's just wrong.
The mission hasn’t changed for Lamar Jackson. But maybe the conversation finally should.
