Lamar Jackson shined brightly on the field during the Christmas game against the San Francisco 49ers, leading the Baltimore Ravens to a resounding 33-19 win in a thrilling Monday night football showdown. This stellar win served as the perfect festive gift for the Ravens fans, which once again solidified the team’s standing in the AFC North with an impressive 12-3 record.
While MVP discussions had Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey in the limelight, Lamar Jackson’s performance stole the show. Despite being a contender, Jackson remained unfazed by Mike Florio’s take, choosing instead to let his on-field performance speak volumes.
Who is Mike Florio?
Mike Florio stands at the forefront of NFL coverage by wielding his expertise as the creator and Editor in Chief of Pro Football Talk (PFT). He showcases a symphony of news, analysis, and insider information to attract a global audience hungry for the latest NFL developments. The pinnacle of his contributions is showcased in the daily weekday show, PFT Live, streamed on Peacock, alongside luminaries like Chris Simms and Mike Golic.
The New York Times lauds Florio as “a leading source of information,” while Jay Glazer of Fox Sports describes him as a “tireless watchdog.” However, Florio’s journey to NFL journalism wasn’t conventional. His sportswriting initiation began at NFLtalk.com in 2000, later transitioning to ESPN.com after the acquisition of the former. During his tenure at ESPN.com, the veteran’s knack for delivering rumors and news reports was top-notch.
Despite his current dominance in sports journalism, Florio’s academic background diverges from his professional path. Armed with engineering degrees from Carnegie Mellon, the analyst pursued his legal education at the West Virginia University School of Law.
Why did Lamar Jackson shoot at Mike Florio?
Following the Ravens win over the 49ers, Lamar Jackson was captured expressing his displeasure at Florio’s dismissive remarks regarding his team. He questioned Florio’s credibility, struggling to recall the analyst’s name, saying, “What’s his name? Mike Flores [sic]?”
During a press interaction following the game, the dual-threat’s frustration was quite visible as he addressed Florio’s comments. The signal-caller’s voice carried a mix of disappointment and defiance as he defended not just himself but the entire team against what he perceived as disrespectful criticism.
“You can’t just discredit us. We’re grown men, we’ve got to feed our families. He can have his opinion, but don’t be just talking like that. That’s disrespectful. That’s very disrespectful.
The QB continued his rant, saying the analyst should do his job well instead of digging players for mere views.
“He needs to just keep doing his job, but don’t come off like that towards us. Because that’s disrespectful, like I said. Because he ain’t putting them pads on. If he were putting them pads on I feel like it’d be different for him. … We’re respectful to our opponents. Our opponents are respectful to us. But a guy who is not even playing against us gonna come out being disrespectful. I guess he wanted a little more views on his little channel. We’re gonna leave it at that.”
The reaction of Jackson stemmed from Florios’s pregame prediction that the 49ers would dominate the Ravens.
“The 49ers kick the sh– out of the Ravens on Monday night. I’m sorry. I know that’s disrespectful to the Ravens, but let’s be realistic. They’ve got to fly across the country on Christmas night, and the 49ers are waiting. And the 49ers are going to dismantle the Ravens,” Florio said on Thursday per 8 News Now.
However, Lamar Jackson let his performance do the talking on the field by throwing for 252 yards, rushing for 45 more, and securing two touchdowns without a single interception with an impressive passer rating of 108.9. His team has also proved to be a Super Bowl contender due to continuing their winning streak following the Week 10’s disappointing loss against the Cleveland Browns.
