On Sunday, Lamar Jackson will start at quarterback for the Ravens in a playoff game against the Chargers. On Monday, Jackson will turn 22 years old.
Jackson will be the first quarterback in NFL history to start a postseason game before turning 22. The previous youngest quarterback to start a postseason game was Bernie Kosar, who was 22 years, 40 days old when he started a playoff game for the Browns against the Dolphins on January 4, 1986.
Although many saw Jackson as a project who would need a long time to learn to be an NFL quarterback (and some, including Hall of Fame personnel man turned ESPN commentator Bill Polian, thought Jackson wasn’t an NFL quarterback at all), he has proven himself to be ready for the challenge of starting as a rookie. He still has work to do as a passer, but the Ravens’ run-first offense with Jackson running the show has given opposing defenses problems.
If Jackson can lead the Ravens to a win over the Chargers, he’ll also be the youngest quarterback to win a postseason game. That distinction currently belongs to Michael Vick, who was 22 years, 192 days old when his Falcons beat the Packers on January 4, 2003.
