Getty Lamar Jackson's All-Pro teammate hates one thing about life with the Ravens' QB.
Lamar Jackson is the face of the franchise for the Baltimore Ravens. His dual-threat brilliance on the field fills highlight reels, while speculation about his next contract dominates news cycles.
It can sometimes be easy to forget Jackson is just one man on a team of talented individuals all striving to win an NFL title. That Jackson-centric focus is something one All-Pro member of the Ravens hates.
Although he loves his quarterback, this outspoken veteran doesn’t want No. 8 to have to win every game by himself.
Key Defender Wants to Ease Pressure on Jackson
Marcus Peters gave a passionate rallying call for the Ravens to ease the pressure on Jackson, when the cornerback spoke to The Ringer’s Logan Murdock. It was a wide-ranging interview with the experienced cover man, but this quote stood out: “I think the biggest thing for us as a team is that I hate the fact that we get looked at as Lamar and the Ravens.”
Peters wasn’t attacking his high-profile teammate. Instead, he was using Week 4’s 23-20 defeat to the Buffalo Bills as an example of why the Ravens need to be less reliant on Jackson: “I love the s*** out of Lamar … I love the s*** out of him, man, and I just hate that. I hate that that much pressure can be on one person, man, and the rest of the team. Just sometimes you get caught looking from the outside in, but no. I let him know all the time, man, ‘We out there with you.’ We got to play our part at that point of time in-game, man. It was our duty to go stop [them]. I wanted that to be on us.”
That desire to take some of the burden away from Jackson manifested itself in controversial fashion against the Bills. Peters erupted at John Harbaugh in a heated sideline exchange about the head coach’s decision to shun a field goal and go for the end zone on 4th-and-goal from the one-yard line.
Marcus Peters had some words for John Harbaugh and had to be separated after the Ravens blew a 20-3 lead vs. Buffalo
The message was clear. Harbaugh didn’t trust Peters and the Ravens’ defense to protect a potential three-point lead over Josh Allen and the Bills.
Peters told Murdock how Harbaugh helped clear the air when the Ravens faced the New York Giants two weeks later: “‘Hey, yo,’ Peters said Harbaugh yelled toward him and Houston. ‘What y’all want to do?’ I just said, ‘Man, you the coach, man. Make the decision. We gon’ ride with you.'”
Harbaugh and Peters may have mended fences at MetLife Stadium, but the coach perhaps had a point about his struggling defense. Just like against the Bills, the Ravens came up short against the Giants after letting a late lead slip.
It’s been a familiar problem for the defense this season, with Peters’ struggles a notable contributing factor. The 29-year-old addressed those problems, along with how he’s still working back to his best following the torn ACL that cost him all of the 2021 season.
Jackson Carrying Struggling Defense
Baltimore’s latest collapse came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12. The defense blew leads of nine and seven points in the fourth quarter, en route to a 28-27 defeat.
Peters was one of the main culprits behind the defense folding. He was burned for touchdowns by running back JaMycal Hasty, Jamal Agnew and wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr.:
JAGUARS TOUCHDOWN.
📺: #BALvsJAX on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/2Ee22k7O7c
The Jags and second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence went after Peters all game. He crumbled under the pressure, allowing 10 completions on 14 targets and 13 yards per catch, according to Pro Football Reference.
Teams don’t usually target a two-time All-Pro cornerback as often as the Jaguars looked Peters’ way. Their gameplan revealed a brutal truth for the former Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams star.
Quarterbacks no longer fear Peters as somebody to avoid. It’s the direct result of the rust accrued during his lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Peters described a long and painful process to mend his knee: “The hardest part is right after surgery, where you’re trying to get your range of motion back. I did that for two or three weeks trying to just get my leg to bend … just bending it and going through that pain of trying to rip that scar tissue up and get your leg back moving so you can start back exercising, doing some things, so you can gain your strength back.”
He also admitted to not being quite as sure of himself since returning to the field: “For me, I just know I got more, so it’s just kind of … I don’t know. Self-doubt is realer than a b****.”
Peters’ struggles are not unique on a unit that’s been striving for consistency since wasting a fourth-quarter lead against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. An erratic pass rush has logged 35 sacks, while a revamped coverage scheme featuring more zone maybe becoming predictable under first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald.
Little wonder Jackson is having trouble matching offenses point for point most weeks. It’s a situation Peters and his fellow defenders must change if these Ravens are going to be credible Super Bowl contenders.