National Football League

Playing Catch-Up

Updated Jan. 19, 2021 2:31 p.m. ET

For a third straight season, the Baltimore Ravens have exited the NFL playoffs with a whimper.

The vaunted Ravens offense, led by superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, mustered just one field goal in a 17-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Jackson went 14-for-24 for 162 yards and an interception, registering a quarterback rating of 61.5 before leaving the game because of a concussion at the end of the third quarter.

The interception, a 101-yard pick-six for the Bills, proved to be a soul-crusher for Baltimore.

Jackson was injured on the ensuing possession, effectively ending Baltimore's season in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Removing Jackson's concussion from the equation, there are still major questions being asked about his postseason performances ⁠— particularly as a passer.

Jackson is 1-3 in three playoff runs with the Ravens, with three touchdowns and five interceptions. In his four postseason outings, the Ravens' QB has completed 55.6 percent of his passes for an average of 6.62 yards per attempt.

There's no denying that the postseason brings tougher opposition, but Jackson's playoff numbers pale in comparison to what the 2019 MVP has shown he's capable of.

In his regular-season career, Jackson has completed 64.0 percent of his passes for an average of 7.5 yards per attempt, along with 68 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

Still, a third postseason loss in as many years ⁠— with 17 or fewer points scored in each defeat ⁠— has folks such as ESPN's Stephen A. Smith looking toward Jackson as the source of Baltimore's offensive woes.

"What's been the Achilles' heel? You have to be able to throw the football. And at the end of the day, not only did Lamar Jackson not play lights-out throwing the football, he actually threw a pivotal pick-six in the third quarter that I think had a profound effect on the outcome of this game."

But could the Ravens be doing more to help Jackson?

His leading receiver, second-year man Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, ranked 42nd in the NFL with 769 receiving yards on 58 catches this season, reaching the 100-yard milestone just once.

Jackson's next-favorite target was tight end Mark Andrews, who finished the season with 58 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns.

In their loss to the Bills, Brown and Andrews combined for 115 yards on eight catches. On the other side of the field, Bills wideout Stefon Diggs hauled in eight catches of his own for 106 yards to lead all receivers.

With that in mind, Nick Wright laid out why a bona fide stud at receiver, such as Diggs, could be the tonic Jackson and the Ravens so desperately need.

Using Wright's example of Josh Allen as a possible blueprint for Jackson, let's look at the Bills QB's jump year over year.

Without Diggs in 2019, Allen completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,089 yards and 20 passing touchdowns, registering an 85.3 passer rating.

With Diggs in the fold, Allen's completion percentage leaped to 69.2, with 4,544 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns and a 107.2 passer rating.

The Arizona Cardinals also saw a trade for former Houston Texans target DeAndre Hopkins pay dividends for their QB, though not quite to the same extent as the Allen-Diggs partnership.

In one season with Hopkins, second-year quarterback Kyler Murray saw his completion percentage improve by 2.8 to 67.2 percent and his passer rating go from 87.4 to 94.3.

He also threw for six more passing touchdowns and 249 more yards.

Diggs and Hopkins were acquired in trades prior to this season. Would such a game-changer be available for the Ravens to pounce on?

Wright mentioned one such high-profile pass-catcher: Cleveland Browns star Odell Beckham Jr.

Although there hasn't been any public indication that OBJ would be available, with 6,830 receiving yards and 51 touchdown catches in seven seasons, he certainly would bring a track record as a difference-maker.

There are risks if the Ravens were to pursue OBJ, however.

Most significantly, the 28-year-old wide receiver saw his 2020 season abruptly end after he suffered a torn ACL in Week 7.

Odell Beckham Jr. torn ACL -- Dr. Matt Provencher on when we can expect him back

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tore his left ACL on Sunday and will miss the rest of the 2020 season. Former New England Patriots head physician Dr. Matt Provencher explains the timeline of when we're likely to see OBJ's return to action.

Furthermore, many NFL analysts believe quarterback Baker Mayfield operated Cleveland's offense more effectively without the presence of Beckham Jr. to take into account.

If that is the case for Cleveland, perhaps the Browns would be open to engaging in trade discussions.

Would the Ravens come knocking?