John Harbaugh has no doubt Lamar Jackson will rebound from a difficult evening after the Baltimore Ravens were shocked by the Tennessee Titans in Saturday's Divisional Round game.
The Titans earned an upset 28-12 victory on the road to earn a spot in the Conference Championships, with the top-seeded Ravens unable to cope with Tennessee's physicality.
Jackson has racked up sensational numbers in his first full season as a starter, becoming the first player to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards, while breaking Michael Vick's single-season rushing record for a quarterback.
But it just did not happen against the Ravens for Jackson, who ended with 21-of-59 passing for 365 yards and was intercepted twice.
Ravens coach Harbaugh has no concerns over 23-year-old Jackson in the long term, though.
"I won't have to say much to him. We will talk for sure and we will see where that conversation goes, just from a standpoint of two people talking," he told reporters.
"But I know how he's going to respond. He is going to respond by being extremely motivated and determined to improve as a football player.
"I think the strategy made between last year and this year are pretty indicative of that, and we expect him to get better. That's what he should do.
"It's simple – [for] him and everybody else. That's what we all should strive to do and I just know his character and who he is as a person. That's what he will be thinking about."
Jackson was pretty forthright with his own assessment, saying: "We just beat ourselves. I had a lot of mistakes on my behalf. Three turnovers, that shouldn't happen. But they came out to play."
When it was pointed out he is winless in the postseason, Jackson replied: "I don't really care about what they say.
"This is my second year in the league. Most people [aren't] able to bring it to the playoffs. I don't really worry about [what] people say. We're going to keep going [and] get ready for next year."
LATEST STORIES
Olympic gold medalist Roje Stona among athletes invited to NFL International Player Pathway Programme
- 2024-12-09 10:19:25
- Hits 372
Bill Belichick reportedly to coach the University of North Carolina
- 2024-12-11 18:31:16
- Hits 77