Over the past two months, Lamar Jackson has thrown just one interception, a fact the Ravens quarterback didn’t particularly relish being pointed out Wednesday afternoon as he threw his hands up in playful disgust over perhaps not wanting to speak the next one into existence. For good reason.

The Buffalo Bills, who Baltimore will play in a divisional round playoff game Sunday night in Orchard Park, New York, led the NFL in turnover differential by a wide margin during the regular season at plus-24. Their 32 takeaways were also the second-most, one behind only the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

While Jackson’s four interceptions are the second-fewest of his career, his five fumbles lost are a career-high by one, though even that has been cleaned up with just one over the final 10 games of the regular season.In seven career playoff games, however, his numbers have been worse, with six interceptions and three lost fumbles.

“It’s a point of emphasis always and it’s a point of emphasis right now big-time because for our offense this defense takes the ball away a lot,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Protecting the football is job one. That was in our meeting today. It’s pretty much in our meeting every week, but it was definitely in our meeting today. It might’ve been the No. 1 point.”

It has been on the field, too.

With just under two minutes remaining in the first half of the wild-card game against the Steelers, Jackson reminded teammates as he took the field to make sure to hold on to the ball because Pittsburgh would be coming for it. Nine plays later, the diligence paid off with Jackson scrambling away from pressure and eventually connecting with Justice Hill on a spirit-breaking 5-yard touchdown pass with just two seconds remaining to extend the lead to 21-0 in an eventual 28-14 win.

The last interception the All-Pro quarterback threw?

It came in the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Steelers in Baltimore on Dec. 21 when there was a miscommunication with receiver Rashod Bateman and the ball landed softly in the waiting hands of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. You have to go back to Week 11 and an 18-16 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh for the most recent one before that.

Those regular-season turnovers against the Steelers are why the Ravens were hyper-focused on not committing the same mistakes last week when they played them for a third time, said Bateman, who noted Pittsburgh’s aggressive style of play.

Buffalo, he said, hasn’t been as “flashy” when racking up turnovers.

To that point, seven players are tied for the team lead in interceptions with two. Defensive end Greg Rousseau and defensive tackle Ed Oliver lead the way with three forced fumbles apiece, while nine others have at least one.

As for Jackson’s lone fumble lost in the past 11 games, including the playoffs, that came on the opening series against the lowly New York Giants and an eventual 35-14 Baltimore blowout. But he also had one the last time he saw the Bills, coughing it up on a second-quarter run when the Ravens were already up 21-3 and on their way to a 35-10 rout.

“Watching film, a lot of our games came down to us with turnovers,” Jackson said Wednesday. “Coach over-emphasizing that on us, making sure [we have] ball security.

“That plays a part, me not just fumbling but keeping the ball out of the defenders’ hands as well, put the ball where only my receiver can catch the ball and make moves.”

Even then, it hasn’t always worked out — the other three interceptions Jackson threw this season ricocheted off the hands of his intended targets.

That, of course, wasn’t the case the last time Baltimore faced Buffalo in the playoffs.

In the divisional round in 2021, also in Orchard Park, the Ravens were trailing 10-3 and facing third-and-goal from the Bills’ 9-yard line in the final minute of the third quarter when Jackson tried to force a pass to tight end Mark Andrews amid a crowded end zone. Buffalo cornerback Taron Johnson snatched the ball and raced 101 yards for a crushing touchdown, and the Bills won, 17-3.

“One thing I’ve found [is] that the margin for error in these games is tighter because you’re playing really good teams,” Harbaugh said. “Every possession is really going to make the difference, and you want to make the most of every play [and] every possession.”

Jackson still remembers that play from four years ago, of course.

“Hell yes,” he said. “I just saw it. I just saw a little clip they always like to post, they like to throw that out there that little interception return.

“Yes, that’s all I’m going to say about that though.”

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