On Saturday night, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson grabbed dinner in Cincinnati with teammates Zay Flowers and Eddie Jackson. A day later, he ended up going viral — and not just for his heroics in a 41-38 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
On Instagram, Flowers had shared a video of a woman leaning over Jackson’s shoulder, gently ribbing him that the Bengals would “beat your ass tomorrow.” Jackson seemed to joke that it would be “her fault” if Cincinnati lost.
Jackson kept his word. He went 26-for-42 for 348 yards and four touchdowns and added 12 carries for 55 yards in the comeback win inside Paycor Stadium, a performance that on Wednesday earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Asked Wednesday about the viral encounter, Jackson said the meal was “supposed to be private,” but the restaurant’s owner “just kept letting people” in to see the Ravens’ group. One woman was a fan of Louisville, where Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, and a Bengals fan. The woman Flowers captured was more direct, Jackson said.
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“We’re going to kick your ass,” Jackson remembered her saying. “I got mad, so I’m like, ‘She’s going to be the reason we end up winning.’ I wonder how she felt after that, though.”
Jackson joked that “one of her grandsons or someone” had probably shown her Flowers’ video. “Just be a fan next time,” he said. “Just let us play. Let the guys do the talking; you all just be the fans.”
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