The 2023 Baltimore Ravens come into the season with a lot of new pieces. Those pieces, and a much richer and healthy quarterback Lamar Jackson, are why the 2023 season is being labeled a Super Bowl-or-bust season for the Ravens. In fact, one analyst is saying anything less than a Super Bowl should be looked at as a failure.
Fox Sport NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, who was formerly of the NFL Network, spoke to this during Friday’s episode of “SPEAK” on FS1. Brooks, a known Jackson apologist, says the 2019 NFL MVP has no excuse, and hoisting a Lombardi Trophy should be the only acceptable outcome this season.
SB-Or-Bust In Charm City?
“My mom and dad use to say no excuses, no explanations. I don’t care what it looks like. I know when we tee it off in the middle of February, I better see the Baltimore Ravens representing the AFC. Because when you pay Lamar Jackson the kind of money that you paid him, that’s the expectation. Everyone in the building knows.”
“And so I would expect him to get to the Super Bowl, because otherwise it’s an abject failure. He has to take this team to the Super Bowl, given the money and all the transactions that have taken place. Otherwise, it all comes back on him.”
Jackson, who’s got some new weapons this offseason in wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., and speedy and shifty first-round pick Zay Flowers out of Boston College, says he wants to use his arm more and less of his legs.
That’s probably smart, considering the elusive Jackson hasn’t finished either of the last two seasons, getting injured both times while using his legs.
Ravens And Jackson In Ultra-Tough AFC
It would be fine for Brooks to say this if the Ravens played in the now-watered down NFC. That conference has two viable Super Bowl contenders, the Eagles and Niners, with the Cowboys still lurking.
But, in the AFC that’s a Murderers’ Row with the Chiefs, Bengals, Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Chargers, Jaguars and others vying for postseason success there’s much tougher sledding to make a run, and especially all the way to fabulous Las Vegas and Super Sunday.
In May, Brooks, then employed by the NFL Network, mentioned that the Ravens and Niners Christmas Day regular season matchup could be a Super Bowl preview.
