BALTIMORE — Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson questioned the effort of the Baltimore Ravens after they blew an 11-point lead in a 30-24 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans.
“It looked like that team wanted it more than us,” Jackson said. “They were playing physical. When we went up, I felt like we just took our foot off the gas. But we just have to keep it going for the team.”
Jackson and the Ravens were once the NFL’s best closers, winning his first 21 starts when ahead by 10 or more points. Now, Baltimore has lost two of its past three games in which it had a double-digit lead.
On Sunday, the Ravens took a commanding 21-10 advantage early in the third quarter before collapsing late in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Baltimore suddenly trailed 24-21 with 2:18 remaining in regulation when three defenders (Chuck Clark, Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey) missed tackles on A.J. Brown’s 14-yard touchdown catch. The Ravens then lost in overtime when Derrick Henry ran 29 yards up the middle of their defense for the touchdown.
Asked about Jackson’s comment that the Titans wanted to win more than the Ravens, Baltimore rookie running back J.K. Dobbins said: “We always give good effort, but today was … They just gave more effort than us. We just have to fix that.”
The frustrations continue to build on a team that was once among the preseason Super Bowl favorites. After last week’s 23-17 loss in New England, Jackson said the team was “ticked off” and other players acknowledged the Patriots were more physical than them. The Ravens put on the pads Wednesday to set a more physical tone, but the results Sunday were all too familiar.
Baltimore has lost three out of four games for the first time under Jackson and dropped consecutive games for the first time since September 2019. The Ravens (6-4), the defending two-time AFC North champions, dropped to third place in the division.
The biggest difference between last season and this one has been games against the better teams in the NFL. In 2019, Jackson was 6-1 against teams with winning records. This year, he’s 1-3 against them.
What can Jackson tell his teammates?
“Just focus and keep your head up,” said Jackson, who completed 17 of 29 passes for 186 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “We were in worse situations my rookie year [when the Ravens started 4-5 in 2018]. We turned the season around and people were down on us then. I feel like people want us to lose.”
The Ravens have a quick four-day turnaround and play at the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0) on Thanksgiving night.
