John Harbaugh Defends Lamar Jackson: "He’s Younger Than Joe Burrow, OK?"

Friday, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh defended his team’s quarterback, Lamar Jackson, after last week’s disappointing playoff loss.

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“He’s 23 years old. He’s younger than Joe Burrow, OK?” Harbaugh said at his end-of-season news conference, according to ESPN. “So he’s got a pretty good head start right now. I mean, he’s along the way.”

Jackson has been criticized for a lackluster performance in his second career playoff start. He recorded only one touchdown and two interceptions.

“The Manning brothers combined to … they had five losses in their first five playoff games before they won one” Harbaugh continued. “[Joe] Montana, [Steve] Young and [Brett] Favre didn’t start a playoff game until their third season. [Drew] Brees and [Troy] Aikman until their fourth season, and [Aaron] Rodgers until his fifth season. Interesting.”

The Ravens lost to the Titans 28-12 in the divisional round. It was a shock for Ravens’ fans who expected a Super Bowl appearance after the team went 14-2 during the regular season. 

There are only four remaining teams in the NFL playoffs. The Titans matchup against the Chiefs at 3:05 PM on Sunday and the Packers play against the 49ers at 6:40 PM on Sunday. The two winners will play each other in the Super Bowl on February 2nd.