Lamar Jackson is already going to go down in NFL history as an all-time great quarterback. The Baltimore Ravens star already has two NFL MVP awards and four Pro Bowl appearances. He currently holds the highest career passer rating and the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback at 28 years old.
But the one thing he lacks is a championship, or even a Super Bowl appearance. And with the Ravens dropping a big game on Sunday to the Chiefs to fall to 1-3 on the season, and Jackson going down with a hamstring injury, it looks like that dream is going to have to wait another year.
And it’s a trend that Nick Wright wants the sports media to start noticing.
On his What’s Wright podcast, the star of First Things First on FS1 laid out his case for why Lamar Jackson has gotten a free pass for having his worst games for when the lights are brightest. What makes Wright one of the most skilled sports personalities working today is that it’s not just vibes, he brought receipts.
“Why do we have to pretend what is obviously true is not? The all-time legendary player who sadly gets tight in his biggest spots and plays worst in his biggest moments… for some reason with Lamar we have to pretend it’s not happening.”@getnickwright goes off on the media for… pic.twitter.com/aEgwhJSxpB
— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) September 30, 2025
“In the last 30 games Lamar has played, he has multiple turnovers in three of them. The AFC Championship Game against Kansas City, the Divisional Round against Buffalo, and Sunday against Kansas City. I guess that’s just coincidence,” Wright said.
Jackson is 3-5 in the playoffs with just one AFC Championship Game appearance where his Ravens lost at home to the Chiefs in January 2024. Furthermore, his postseason quarterback rating of 84.6, which falls far below his career rating of 103.0.
Wright then compared Lamar Jackson to another famous quarterback who had his fair share of struggles in big spots in Peyton Manning. However, he believes that whereas Manning’s big game struggles were always front and center, Jackson’s are pushed to the side.
“To pretend like that is coincidental when we once again saw Lamar throwing his helmet, out of sorts, it’s just dishonest. Why do we have to pretend what is obviously true is not. Why do we have to pretend that this is a unique thing that we haven’t seen across sports our whole lives – the all-time great legendary player who sadly gets tight in his biggest spots and plays his worst in his biggest moments. That’s part of sports, man,” Wright added.
“Nobody was going back and taking back Peyton Manning’s MVPs and his records because he struggled in his biggest spots, but we weren’t pretending it was coincidental either. Talked about the Peyton Manning face, talked about how he got anxious, talked about how his brother was the bizarro version of him, a wholly mediocre player for giant expanses of his career who somehow in his biggest spots played his absolute best. And for some reason with Lamar we’ve got to pretend it’s not happening.”
The Ravens defense has been shockingly bad this season for a franchise that has built itself as a powerhouse on that side of the ball almost since their move from Cleveland a generation ago. The Ravens are the worst team in the league in scoring defense and second worst in total yards allowed.
But Lamar Jackson wasn’t blameless on Sunday. He threw for just 147 yards with an interception and lost fumble. And the way the season looks like it’s trending in Baltimore, he may not have another opportunity to prove the doubters wrong in a big game until next season.
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