Lamar Jackson made it clear that the Baltimore Ravens weren’t out for revenge after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game seven months ago, which kept him from his first Super Bowl.
But it certainly seemed like Jackson was trying to get some revenge on Thursday night.
Jackson passed for 273 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 122 yards, making a strong effort to bring Baltimore back from a 10-point deficit against the Chiefs, who are the reigning NFL champions.
It looked like Jackson had managed to force overtime when he threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone as time expired in the loud Arrowhead Stadium.
However, the final play was reviewed on video, and it was clear that Likely’s toe was on the end line, meaning he was out of bounds. The pass was ruled incomplete, and the game ended with a 27-20 loss for the Ravens.
This was Jackson’s fifth loss in six games against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, making it a tough defeat, especially compared to the 17-10 loss in January when the Super Bowl was so close.
Jackson said, “I believe everyone in our program — coaches, trainers, equipment guys, cafeteria women and men, and definitely the players.
For us to lose to those guys in the way we lost, even though I don’t want to do it, I can’t be mad at my guys.” Jackson is known as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and won his second MVP award last season.
He has proven himself in major games and against some of the league’s best quarterbacks, with a 2-0 record against Tom Brady before Brady’s retirement and winning four out of five games against Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Despite his impressive skills, he hasn’t been able to defeat Mahomes and the Chiefs, no matter how well he plays.
During most of Thursday’s game, Jackson had another tough night against the Chiefs. His newly adjusted offensive line was flagged for illegal formation three times in the first seven plays.
It completely fell apart a little later when Jackson was sacked and stripped of the ball by Chris Jones deep in his own territory, leading to an easy field goal for the Chiefs.
“Every time we almost had a big play, we got a penalty right after that,” Jackson said. “It’s hard to get in the groove.”
He finally found his rhythm during the last two series when Jackson started playing more spontaneously.
First, he led a 12-play, 56-yard drive that set up Justin Tucker’s field goal, bringing the Ravens within a touchdown with 4:54 remaining in the game.
After the league’s top-scoring defense from last season forced a quick punt, Jackson got one more chance.
He kept passing to Likely, who had 111 yards receiving and a touchdown. Jackson also used his legs when needed, including a scramble on third-and-2 that gave the Ravens a new set of downs.
A few plays later, he spotted Rashod Bateman running down the Kansas City sideline for a 38-yard completion, placing the ball at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line with 19 seconds left.
“I thought his last drive was great,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
Jackson’s first attempt to score in the end zone was a throw-away because no one was open, but he seemed to miss Zay Flowers open in the back on the next play.
With one last chance with four seconds remaining, Jackson was under pressure but managed to keep the play going and found Likely open in the back of the end zone.
The pass was a bit high, but Likely thought he caught it — and so did Jackson, who looked over to see Harbaugh signaling for the Ravens to stay on the field for a 2-point conversion that could have won the game.
However, the play was reviewed on video, and the Ravens never got that chance.
“I felt that we did a great job,” Jackson said, “but you know, just coming down and the red zone, 10-yard line — whatever.”
