Lamar Jackson never forgets a loss, nor is he keen on letting criticisms of his teammates go.
Speaking on Tuesday during the first day of the Ravens' mandatory minicamp, Jackson leapt to the defense of Mark Andrews for the tight end's AFC Divisional Round blunders against the Bills -- a fumble and dropped two-point conversion -- and made it clear the entire team is heading into the new season bent on avenging the playoff loss.
"I've been seeing my guy be getting talked about and I really don't like that because he's done so much for us," Jackson said regarding Andrews. "He's done so much for us, and how people did him, I just don't like that. 'Cause Mark is still Mark, for sure, no doubt."
Jackson later added: "He's accomplished so much for us and himself. I feel like, just let things happen sometimes. We wish we would've won the game. I wish I didn't throw that interception. I wish I didn't fumble. I wish the mishap didn't happen, but it happened. It's a lesson learned, man, so next time, we'll do something better."
Baltimore's playoff loss last season marked the fifth postseason defeat of Jackson's career, a snowy affair that was decided by two points and hinged on three turnovers.
The Ravens committed all of them. Jackson was responsible for two, on consecutive possessions throwing a pick and then losing a fumble in Buffalo territory. Both of his big mishaps came in the first half, though, while Andrews' gaffes took place in crunch time. He fumbled away possession with 8:41 remaining in the final frame while trailing, 24-19. Then, with a chance to redeem himself after Baltimore limited Buffalo to a field goal and drove down the field for a touchdown, Andrews dropped an open pass on a two-point try that would've tied the game under the two-minute warning.
Baltimore never saw the ball again.
Andrews, who contributed five catches for 61 yards in the game but was coming off a down year in general, received widespread criticism over the missed opportunity. The idea his best might be behind him was supplemented by questions about his future in Baltimore arising.
Regardless, Andrews remains a Raven, just as he remains one of Jackson's favorite weapons heading into the 2025 campaign.
Knowing he can count on Andrews is a lesson cemented for Jackson over the course of their prolific partnership, which spans seven seasons, seven combined Pro Bowl honors and four first-team All-Pro nods, far outweighing any recent mistakes.
That won't stop falling short of a postseason victory from stinging, though.
"I don't think I get over any loss, to be honest," Jackson said. "I've got losses from youth football that still haunt me. I never get over losses. I don't care how small it may be to someone else or how great it may be, it's always the same to me."
He's pushed through the pain this offseason, specifically watching tape on the team's defeats in an effort to highlight mistakes and capitalize better next time.
Jackson told reporters the biggest takeaway from his film study revolves around protecting the ball, which is vital in any NFL game but takes on even greater importance considering how close the Ravens came to advancing past the Divisional Round despite badly losing the turnover battle.
"We still had a chance to win," Jackson said. "It's football, not everything going to go our way. Before it was like, 'Oh, you can't win a playoff game.' Then, we won a playoff game, got to the AFC Championship two years ago, and we just fell short, like two games short this year. We're going to bounce back. We'll come back and I feel like we're gonna have vengeance on our mind."
Jackson, Andrews and the rest of the squad luckily won't need to wait long for a chance to exorcise their demons. They open the season back at the scene of the crime, in Buffalo against the Bills on Sunday Night Football.
From there on, revenge would best be served via a Super Bowl run.
