Lamar Jackson, Ravens Offense Reacts to Brutal Loss to Chiefs.
Lamar Jackson, the soon-to-be two-time MVP, was leading the Ravens’ explosive offense.
However, they ran into a wall in the AFC Championship at M&T Bank Stadium, mostly as a result of self-inflicted errors and partially as a result of a formidable Kansas City Chiefs defense.
In the 17-10 defeat, Baltimore’s offense was out of rhythm and turned the ball over three times.
Players struggled to find an explanation after witnessing such a promising season come to an end short of the Super Bowl, leaving them stunned.
It’s absurd. There were opportunities there for us. All we have to do is take advantage of them “said Jackson. “We only managed one touchdown, which is not typical of us.”
With Jackson at the helm this season, the Ravens hadn’t been held under 20 points since Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even when they got off to a sluggish start last week in the divisional playoffs, they turned it on in the second half to pull away.
Baltimore was held to just 110 yards in the first half but ended up posting more yards (336 to 319) and way more yards per play (5.9 to 4.4) than the Chiefs. Two end zone turnovers proved to be the difference.
With the Ravens trailing by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter, wide receiver Zay Flowers fumbled when trying to extend the ball for the goal line. Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed punched it out, the ball went into the end zone, and was recovered by the Chiefs.
In addition to having a fantastic day with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, the first-round rookie said he was barely short when he thought he broke the plane.
“I’ll take lessons from my errors,” he declared. “The best squad doesn’t necessarily come out on top.”
On the following drive, the Ravens stormed back down the field, hoping to cut the Chiefs’ advantage to a field goal once more. However, Jackson threw into triple coverage for tight end Isaiah Likely, which resulted in an interception by safety Deon Bush.
“I didn’t want to chuck it entirely out of the end zone because I [saw] Tampa 2 and I [saw] both of them trailing,” Jackson remarked. “I simply attempted to allow him to pivot and execute a move. I had anticipated a [pass interference], but alas, that is not the case. The safety produced a brilliant play and intercepted the ball.”
The running game for Baltimore never got going. Jackson only managed 54 rushing yards, while the team’s two running backs, Justice Hill and Gus Edwards, combined for just six rushes for 23 yards. “That was that kind of game,” Harbaugh remarked.
The Chiefs didn’t do anything particularly unusual, according to Harbaugh. They exerted constant pressure on Jackson in the first half, blitzing him at a 50% clip. This once led to a sack or strip that Kansas City recovered in Baltimore territory.
According to Jackson, “We [saw] on film [them] blitz here and there, but 50 percent, that’s different.” “That wasn’t what we [were] expecting, but occasionally… There are lanes there. They dive in after we offer them intermediary paths. They performed a fantastic job, but I’m trying to make something happen because I can’t just toss the ball and hope they tip the passes.”
The Chiefs held Jackson to just 67 yards passing in the first half. He finished 20-of-37 for 272 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He had 54 rushing yards on eight carries.
“The whole game planand the whole focus is on [Jackson] and stopping him first,” Chiefs linebacker Dru Tranquill said. “He had a couple big plays, and he is going to have a couple of plays. He’s a great player and an MVP-caliber player. I thought blow after blow, 15 rounds, heavyweight fight – I thought we got the best of them tonight.”
In the quarterback duel, Patrick Mahomes led back-to-back touchdown drives after completing his first 11 throws of the contest. The 14 points were plenty even though the Ravens defense rallied. Late in the third quarter, Mahomes and the Chiefs managed to avoid giving up the ball, and he sealed the victory with a long completion on third down.
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