Ray Lewis can empathize with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens after their defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game last month.
Back in the 2011 season, Lewis led the Ravens to the brink of Super Bowl 46, only to fall short with a narrow 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
However, the following year, Lewis and his team found redemption with a resounding 28-13 victory over the Patriots in the same stage.
There’s been speculation about whether Jackson can guide the Ravens back to the AFC title game. From Lewis’ perspective, he firmly believes that the sixth-year quarterback has the capability to achieve just that.
“You can only come back when you get this close. I felt this pain. … I went through that, 2011, and I told my team after that, ‘We will be back at the same place next year to finish this.’ So that’s a mindset.”
While Lamar Jackson had a dominant regular season this year, his performance against the Chiefs remains fresh in many minds. In that crucial game, Jackson committed two turnovers and managed only two scoring drives.
Nevertheless, the Baltimore Ravens are widely expected to be among the top contenders in the AFC next season.
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