Lamar Jackson's 2023 season will be "an abject failure" if Ravens don't win Super Bowl, claims NFL analyst

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens come into this season with renewed expectations. The quarterback and the franchise have reached a deal that satisies all parties and now it is time to do the talking on the field.

Hope is high in Maryland and NFL analyst Bucky Brooks believes that anything other than a Super Bowl should be considered a failure for the team. He said,

"My mom and dad used to say no excuses, no explanations. I don't care what it looks like. I know when we tee it off in the middle of February, I better see the Baltimore Ravens playing representing the AFC. Because when you pay Lamar Jackson the kind of money that you paid him, that's the expectation. Everyone in the building knows."

He pointed out that Lamar Jackson has talked about depending more on his arm. Brooks also pointed out that they have mutliple first-round picks playing as receivers. He believes that all excuses are moot at this point and the Baltimore Ravens should compete for the Lombardi Trophy. He added,

"And so I would expect him to get to the Super Bowl, because otherwise it's an abject failure. He has to take this team to the Super Bowl, given the money and all of the transactions that have taken place. Otherwise, it all comes back on him."

Are Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens unlucky to be stuck in the AFC?

The problem for any team wishing to be Super Bowl champs coming out of the AFC is not just the championship game itself. It is that the conference is loaded in terms of great teams and elite quarterbacks.

Look at their own division, AFC North, and they have to get past Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns are improving too and look competitive.

In the AFC East, we have three teams with genuine Super Bowl aspirations. Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills, Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets, and Tua Tagovailoa with the Miami Dolphins all can be considered genuine contenders.

In the AFC South, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars can be even better than last year. And in the AFC West you have the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback, followed by Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.

But if he is to justify his pay, Lamar Jackson has to beat the best of them. The Baltimore Ravens have won Super Bowls with Trent Dilfer and Joe Flacco. There are really no excuses.