Ravens' Lamar Jackson Admits Titans 'Caught Us by Surprise' in NFL Playoffs

The Baltimore Ravens might have been looking past the Tennessee Titans before their shocking upset in last year's playoffs.

"Don't underestimate your opponents," Jackson told Complex's Load Management podcast (via ESPN). "They caught us by surprise. That's all it was."

The Ravens had the best record in the NFL during the regular season at 14-2, ending the year with 12 straight wins, but they lost 28-12 to the Titans in the AFC divisional round. 

Jackson had 365 passing yards and 143 rushing yards in the loss, but his three turnovers proved costly. The offense also continually stalled while finishing 0-of-4 on fourth down.

It was a disappointing showing for the MVP winner, who led the NFL with 36 passing touchdowns on the season to go with just six interceptions. He also set an NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206.

Baltimore ended the regular season with the No. 1 scoring offense and No. 3 scoring defense, positioning the squad as a favorite to win the Super Bowl. This made it easy to look past any second-round opponent, especially a team that was the last one in the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

The Titans, of course, managed to sneak up on multiple teams, upsetting the New England Patriots in the first round before knocking off the Ravens in Round 2. The team even held a 10-point lead over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game before losing to the eventual champions.

Jackson will hope to learn from the experience as he heads into his third season.

The 23-year-old said he's focused on "not peeking ahead" this year, starting with the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.