Cam Newton says Lamar Jackson will win a Super Bowl before Joe Burrow

The former league MVP believes the two-time award winner will finally get a ring when the Ravens figure out how to win ‘the ugly games.’

In his first six years in the NFL, Baltimore Ravens franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson has overstuffed individual accolades in his trophy case. However, the most important one, a team accolade, has eluded him.

Former league MVP Cam Newton recently appeared on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast and offered his thoughts on the matter. He was asked by retired former Ravens tight end and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who he believes will win a Super Bowl first between Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, Justin Herbert and Dak Prescott.

Without hesitation Newton responded, “Lamar.”

Jackson’s already Hall of Fame-worthy resume includes being voted league MVP twice, including a unanimous and near-unanimous tally, being named to three Pro Bowls, receiving two First-Team All-Pro honors and having guided his team to a pair of dominant seasons in which they finished with the league’s best record as well as the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Newton was asked about why he believes Jackson and the Ravens struggled to finally get over the hump last season during a 2023 campaign where they were the best and most complete team by a wide margin with several commanding victories over playoff teams and top contenders and had this to say.

“I think one thing that Lamar and the Ravens organization just has to figure out is how to win the ugly games,” Newton said. “It’s one of those situations where sometimes when I look at Lamar, it’s, ‘bro stop thinking.’”

For players as generationally gifted as Jackson, it is “easy” to overthink situations in the heat of the moment according to Newton, who can speak from experience as he used to be one himself before injuries began to take a toll on his body. He compared Jackson’s indecisiveness in big playoff games against elite opponents to a chef who is too accustomed to executing their signature dish under the right circumstances and struggles to do the same when forced to deviate from or improvise upon the recipe.

“Find a way to win the ugly games and we can talk about the other stuff later,” Newton said. “Patrick Mahomes has found a way to do that. … I think for Lamar, once he figures that out, not to say that he hasn’t but everybody around [him].”

Newton conceded to spreading an equal amount of blame for the team’s shortcomings to the Ravens coaching staff and Jackson’s teammates.

“It’s everybody finding a way to win,” Newton said. “That’s what made Tom Brady and the New England Patriots so dynamic.”

During the Patriots’ two dynasties which defined the previous two decades of the NFL, their calling card was their ability to be malleable and adaptable on the fly. They were also disciplined, which helped them emerge victorious, especially in the biggest and ugliest games on the brightest stages.

Newton referenced the last Super Bowl Brady and the Patriots won before splitting up following the 2018 season when they defeated the red-hot Los Angeles Rams in a defensive battle.

“That was the ugliest Super Bowl ever,” Newton said. “Once [Jackson] figures that out, the organization figures that out, [Newton whistles].”

During Jackson’s tenure as the Ravens starting quarterback, the team has held the lead in games far more than they have trailed. During their two best seasons, their average margin of victory down the stretch has been by double digits. While they have played and both won and lost a handful of their fair share of close games which were decided by a single possession, they haven’t shown an ability to consistently win the ugly games when it matters most in the postseason.

In every one of the Ravens’ playoff exits over the past six years, the team’s game plans either weren’t executed properly on one or both sides of the ball or mistakes compounded and snowballed.

Being able to overcome all manners of adversity, including losing their starting quarterback for a series or the remainder of the game, is an ability the Chiefs have shown. Once the Ravens can prove they are capable of doing the same on a consistent basis, the sky will truly be the limit.