National Football League

Lamar Jackson says Ravens have 'different mindset' from 2019 season

Published Jan. 4, 2024 7:21 p.m. ET

Prior to this season, Baltimore last entered the playoffs as the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2019 as QB Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to a 14-2 record en route to receiving his first MVP award. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the season came to a premature end after the Tennessee Titans stunned the Ravens in a 28-12 divisional-round upset loss at home.

While some similarities between this season and the 2019 season are apparent — with Jackson being the MVP-favorite and the Ravens clinching the No. 1 seed — the Baltimore signal-caller believes the outcome will be different this time.

"I always find myself talking about it (the 2019 season), but it's different," Jackson said during Wednesday's press conference, per NBC Sports. "That was just my first full season [starting] in the NFL and my second year in the league, at that. But it's a different mindset, a different group of guys. I just feel like all around, it's different.

"We were 14-2. It looked like we were going to be unbeaten. I felt like all phases were just playing at the top of our game at the time. I don't know where it was when we just hit a hump. We just couldn't get it done that January, but I feel like this year it'll be different."

As a result, Jackson has decidedly moved on from the disappointing 2019 season, as he chooses to focus on the current version of this Baltimore team.

"We just let that junk go," Jackson explained. "We have to let that go. [We have] different guys, like I said, [and this is] a different team. All around, just a different atmosphere. I feel like we're just on a whole other level from then, because all we talk about is just the next team — not what the future may hold in a few weeks."

With the Ravens securing home field advantage as well as a first round bye last weekend against Miami, they must wait a few weeks before they try to advance to their first conference championship game since winning the Super Bowl in 2012.

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