Lamar Jackson’s momma cussed him out after the game.
Multiple times in the Ravens’ 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the MVP quarterback passed up on an open lane in favor of getting the ball to his receivers.
“She just cussed me out,” Jackson said. “So I’m mad. … She said there were lanes I should have took and ran. I was just trying to let guys develop routes. We had developing routes. I was just trying to do my progressions. But she’s right. I’m going to do my shit.”
Jackson’s mother’s frustration did channel through her son a bit. He slammed the podium and later apologized for letting his emotions come through: “F---. I’m sorry. I’m just mad. I just feel like we should win these games, but we’re not getting it done.”
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Those comments came uncharacteristically late, as Jackson did not enter the interview room until 50 minutes after the game, when most of his teammates had already cleared out. It had been a sedate, introspective locker room after the loss — at least during the part where reporters were present.
Tight end Mark Andrews said team leaders and coaches didn’t say “too much” other than they need to learn from the game. Many of the players sat by themselves in quiet frustration. A few talked with each other, but most sat in their lockers for a few minutes before quickly showering, dressing and leaving. Leading wide receiver Zay Flowers was nowhere to be seen.
Read More
While most rushed out, a few took their time. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and running back Derrick Henry were still in the locker room when it closed to the media. Coach John Harbaugh took 23 minutes to make it to the podium. Jackson stopped to speak with Andrews, Henry and wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who did not play.
Perhaps, on the inside, everyone else was cussing like Jackson’s mama, Felicia Jones. But they delivered a unified, calm message: We’re a better team than we showed and simply need to learn from these mistakes and execute better next time.
The Ravens’ offense did, after all, accumulate 24 first downs and 372 yards, but it struggled on third down and in the red zone. And by not getting to the end zone, the offense left the team in a vulnerable position: relying on Justin Tucker to make field goals from 40 yards or farther in the worst season of his career.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Spoiler: he missed two of four, as well as an extra point, and the Ravens lost by fewer than how many points Tucker left on the board.
“That’s a pretty good team, don’t get me wrong, but I felt like we left stuff out there,” Jackson said. “Should have put more points on the board. Shouldn’t have even put Tuck in those situations.”
Tucker took responsibility for the loss, but so did everyone else. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey said this isn’t a team that points fingers at each other, but they were certainly pointing fingers at themselves.
Wide receiver Tylan Wallace was upset with how he fielded punts. He fumbled twice, and while he recovered both, it affected the momentum. He also did not field a punt that was downed at the one, which left the Ravens backed up in their own territory. The offense stalled and a subsequent punt gave the Eagles a short field, allowing them to score their first touchdown.
“A couple situations there, me, personally, gotta make better decisions back there fielding the ball,” Wallace said after the game.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Beyond Wallace’s returns and Tucker’s missed kicks, the special teams also struggled to punt the ball effectively.
But the offense couldn’t cover those gaffes, like it usually does.
Rookie offensive lineman Roger Rosengarten took blame for letting the Eagles pass rush get to Jackson for three sacks, which ties the most the Ravens have given up this season. Both he and Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum said the offensive line needed to be better in pass protection and run blocking.
Jackson took the blame for some “mishaps,” like a fumbled snap and missed passes, but said the mistakes were by “me and everyone — it’s a team sport.”
Multiple offensive players expressed frustration that they couldn’t reward the defense’s continued improvement by matching its performance.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
“I thought they played great,” Rosengarten said. “I think we got to help them out. And they got a lot of stops, and we went back out there. We need to come away with points, help them out.”
The defense did hold Philadelphia to 252 yards — 112 of which came from passing.
Defensive lineman Broderick Washington said the Ravens played great for 3½ quarters but got sloppy at the end. With just over eight minutes left, it was still a two-point game. Then the Ravens gave up a touchdown followed by a field goal. Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley had 63 of his 104 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
“Fourth quarter kind of let it slip away from us a little bit as far as the run game,” Washington said. “And, think we just got to do a better job of finishing.”
Washington and outside linebacker Tavius Robinson both used the word “sloppy” to describe the defense’s play at the end of the game. Robinson also pointed out that, for all the positives, the defense could have helped the offense in more ways than just getting stops.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
“We can take the ball away,” Robinson said. “We can, you know, score on defense as well. So I think it lies on us, as well, too.”
No team wants to go into a bye week on such an uneven performance. Players and coaches alike will be using the next two weeks to figure out where it all went wrong — an excruciating task for a team that appears convinced it is better than its 8-5 record would indicate.
For his part, Jackson is itching to get back onto the field and execute his mom’s advice against the New York Giants.
“We’re going to get after it,” Jackson said. “I ain’t going to lie to you: I can’t wait till this bye get on.”
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.