Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens – NFL 2025 | Scott Taetsch/GettyImages

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t had the best luck in the playoffs. With a two-time MVP quarterback in Lamar Jackson leading the way, the expectations are always high. Unfortunately, they’ve come up short on every occasion and have yet to reach a Super Bowl with Jackson. In 2025, they didn’t even reach the playoffs.

That misfortune has been far from just Jackson’s fault. Sure, Jackson hasn’t been entirely great in the postseason, but the whole team has had their fair share of struggles. The lack of playoff success has made them one of the most disappointing teams in football year after year.

In five trips to the playoffs, Jackson has a record of 3-5. His team has made the AFC Championship just once. A player he is always compared to is Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. While Allen has found slightly more success, he, too, has failed to make a Super Bowl appearance. It has been a thorn in each of the MVP quarterbacks’ sides.

Somehow, someway, neither Jackson nor Allen was the first quarterback to make it to the Super Bowl from the 2018 NFL Draft. It wasn’t even Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. Following Sunday night’s NFC Championship win over the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will be the first from that draft to make a Super Bowl appearance…just as everyone predicted.

Lamar Jackson and others face shocking twist in Super Bowl hunt

Darnold was initially seen as a bust after an abysmal tenure with the New York Jets. He struggled in brief stints with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, too. However, in 2024, he broke out with the Minnesota Vikings, earning a Pro Bowl nod. In 2025 with the Seahawks, he proved it wasn’t a fluke with another strong Pro Bowl-worthy campaign.

It took seven seasons, but he has become the quarterback many thought he could become when he was the third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Now, he is surpassing Jackson, Allen, and Mayfield in playoff accomplishments.

It may be cool to see your draft classmate find success, especially in the stunning case of Darnold’s career path, but from a competitive standpoint, it might fire Jackson up.

From the moment he was drafted, Jackson has had a strong desire to bring that Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore. Every other team passed on him, but the Ravens gave him that chance to lead their team under center by trading back into the first round to select him. Years later, after countless painful losses, that desire is only growing.