Lamar Jackson is electric with the ball in his hands. Speed, arm talent, charisma, all of it. But we are crowning him too early. Until he wins a Lombardi he is a stat merchant. Show the hardware first. Show the clutch wins. Until then the GOAT talk is empty.

Last night told the story again. Detroit beat Baltimore 38 to 30 and ran for 224 yards while the Ravens managed only 85. Lamar’s box score looked shiny with 288 passing yards and three touchdowns, but he was sacked seven times and the offense flatlined when the game tightened. Derrick Henry made it worse with another fourth quarter fumble, his third in three games, handing Detroit prime field position and momentum.

The opener against Buffalo might have been worse. Baltimore led 40 to 25 with under five minutes left, a win probability over 99 percent. The Bills scored 16 unanswered to win 41 to 40. Another meltdown. Another wasted stat sheet.

Lamar thrives when the opponent is weak. He lights up bad secondaries and racks up yards in garbage time. But when it is tight and late the story changes. Since 2020 the Ravens have blown at least five fourth quarter leads of 10 or more points, tied for worst in the league. Jackson’s habit of holding the ball too long invites sacks and strip sacks instead of quick throws. In late game drives when down by one score his passer rating drops almost 20 points compared to the first three quarters. Those are stat merchant numbers, not championship numbers.

Henry is not off the hook. He was brought in to close games and instead keeps coughing it up. Three fumbles in three games is brutal for a supposed bell cow back. His turnovers swing momentum and put more pressure on Lamar, but that does not absolve the quarterback. Leaders overcome that.

Great quarterbacks win ugly games. They manage the clock, kill drives when they must and slam the door when ahead. Baltimore under Lamar has multiple blown double digit leads in the past two seasons, a fourth quarter offense that disappears under pressure and a pattern of looking unstoppable in September and ordinary in January. That is not nitpicking. That is a trend.

The hype around Lamar persists because stats sell. MVP seasons and video game highlights get clicks. He delivers those in spades. But rings and postseason runs make legends, not gaudy box scores.

If Baltimore does not reach at least the AFC Championship the buck stops with Lamar. He is the quarterback. He sets the tone. Henry’s fumbles hurt, but Jackson controls the final outcome.

Lamar Jackson is a superstar talent, maybe the most exciting player in the league. But greatness requires postseason dominance and a ring. Until he wins when it matters and stops folding in big moments he is a stat merchant, not an all time great.