Ravens' Lamar Jackson Says He Needs to Win Super Bowl Now: 'Not Getting Any Younger'

It's not often you will find a 27-year-old who is likely going to win his second NFL MVP award in two weeks potentially having an existential crisis, but that's where Lamar Jackson finds himself as he prepares to lead the Baltimore Ravens into the playoffs.

Speaking to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec, Jackson admitted he's "stressing" the point that the Ravens need to win a Super Bowl this season because he's "not getting any younger."

Zrebiec noted the moment hit Jackson as he was studying film leading up to Baltimore's Week 15 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and noticed how different the roster was now compared to when he entered the league in 2018:

"I remember coming into the building with all of those guys. Now, it's just like me, Gus (Edwards) and Mark (Andrews). We had so many guys. It was incredible, man. They're all around the league right now and we're not in the same locker room anymore. It's crazy. It made me sit back and realize, 'Damn, I'm getting older. I've got to get a championship now.' That's one of the reasons I'm stressing that I need to win it. I'm not getting any younger. It's best to win it now."

One of the big talking points for Jackson leading up to this postseason has been the 2019 campaign. The Ravens looked like a juggernaut with a 14-2 record in the regular season, the best scoring offense in the league (33.2 points per game) and third-best scoring defense (17.6 points per game).

Baltimore's defense got steamrolled in a 28-12 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Round. Derrick Henry ran for 195 yards on 30 carries in the win. Jackson accounted for 508 yards of offense, but he was sacked four times and turned the ball over three times.

The 2023 Ravens are once again the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They have the best scoring defense (16.5 points allowed per game) and fourth-best offense (28.4 points per game).

Jackson does look like a much better passer now than he did four years ago, which was his first full season as a starting quarterback in the NFL. This season, he set career highs with a 67.2 completion percentage and 8.0 yards per attempt.

Baltimore went 6-2 in eight games Jackson started against playoff teams this year. The Ravens outscored their opponents 258-137 in those games.

It's very hard to argue against the Ravens as the best team in the NFL right now. They have all of the pieces in place to win a Super Bowl. All that's left is for them to go out and do it.

Jackson and the Ravens will host the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.