Lamar Jackson Injured, Depleted Ravens Fall Short Against Browns
The Ravens suffered their biggest loss when quarterback Lamar Jackson was carted off the field early in the second quarter with a sprained ankle against the Browns.
Even with the Ravens depleted roster that has 20 players on IR, Cleveland still had to hold off a late rally and escaped with a 24-22 victory in Week 14.
Jackson was injured when Cleveland linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah hit the back of his lower right leg. Jackson fell to the ground and grabbed his ankle.
He was later carted back to the locker room and was listed as questionable to return before being ruled out after halftime. His status for next week's game against the Packers is uncertain.
“We’ll look at it more tomorrow and see where we’re at,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
Baltimore fell to 8-5 and Cleveland improved to 7-6. The Ravens are also 1-3 in the AFC North.
The Ravens were penalized 10 times for 124 yards.
“I feel like we won the game," said Ravens running back Devonta Freeman, who had 64 yards rushing on 13 carries. "I feel like we physically beat them, but we’ve just got to finish and execute. We beat them, but they won the game. I just think we’ve got to execute better and get back to the details, get back to the drawing board, and let’s just figure out ways to finish. Because in the NFL, you never know how it’s going to go. It’s ‘Any Given Sunday,’ and it can go any way. So, we’ve just got to figure out how to finish better.”
Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell also left the game with a thigh injury.
Baltimore backup quarterback Tyler Huntley pulled the Ravens to within two points with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews. Safety Chuck Clark then recovered the onside kick to give the Ravens a chance to win the game.
However, Cleveland's defense managed a sack and Huntley's pass to rookie Rashod Bateman was short on a fourth-and-6.
Andrews had 11 catches for 115 yards. Bateman finished with seven catches for 103 yards.
“I just know we’re battle-tested. I think this team is incredibly battle-tested," Andrews said. "And I think there’s a lot of situations, I’ve been on a lot of teams that you get in a situation like that … And all of our games this year have been close, beside one of them. So, that’s how we play teams. And so, we know that. We have a chance in every game we play. It doesn’t matter who they are. And so, I think that’s a positive thing.”
Huntley was 27 of 38 for 270 yards with the score. He also lost two fumbles.
Mayfield consistently picked on cornerback Chris Westry, who had trouble covering the Browns wide receivers before finishing the game strong.
“We’re headstrong. We just … We understand our obligation and our job," Westry said. "For some of us, this is a life-changing opportunity. The ‘Next Man [Up]’ mentality, you have to do your job. From my personal experience, I just have to do better. The performance today by me wasn’t good enough. [We] just have to go to work and stack days.”
A 1-yard touchdown run by Latavius Murray cut the margin to 24-15. Coach John Harbaugh unsuccessfully went for the 2-point conversion and that proved to be costly.
“Well, it’s pretty much a standard non-decision," Harbaugh said. "You do it at that point in time because you’re going to have to win a two-point conversion [at some point]. So, you understand if you get it or won’t get it early, where you’re at and go from there – how many possessions you’re going to need and what you’re going to have to do. If you wait until the last two-point conversion, and you don’t get it, the game’s over. You’ve lost. So, you try it early. We’re in a 7-point game, and we know where we stand. If we don’t get it, we’re in a 9-point game, and we know that we need two possessions.”
Mayfield was 22 of 32 for 190 yards with the two touchdowns and an interception. Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephen dropped an easy interception midway through the second quarter.
A pair of pass interference penalties on cornerbacks Antony Averett and Westry led to an early Browns field goal. Mayfield then boosted the lead to 10-0 on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
Another pass interference penalty on Tavon Young set up the Browns second touchdown — a 1 pass from Mayfield to Austin Hooper.
Myles Garrett strip-sacked Huntley late in the second quarter and ran the ball 15 back 15 yards for a 24-3 lead.
Baltimore had three pass interference penalties in the first half.
