Ravens Fighting Through Adversity
BALTIMORE — The Ravens' season is at a crossroads.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered a knee injury in a 10-9 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 13.
Baltimore's offense has struggled in recent weeks and now the team might have to move forward with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley until Jackson recovers, which could be days or weeks.
Huntley showed his fortitude against the Broncos and scored the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds left.
The question is whether Huntley can sustain that success if Jackson is out for more than one game.
“I was just thinking about the game at that point," Huntley said. "I look at the clock. I look at how much time we got on the play clock. I’m just looking at how much time we have left in the game. [I’m looking at] what down it is – that's all I’m focusing on at that moment.”
The Ravens will have their share of critics for such an ugly win over a team like the Broncos, who are basically playing out the string of games after falling to 3-9.
Denver, however, has a stout defense and their defenders played their hearts out against Baltimore.
The Ravens did manage to hold the Broncos' anemic offense to nine points.
In the end, they did take care of business against a team they should have beaten.
"Character gets rewarded in the end," Harbaugh said. "It doesn’t always get rewarded when we want it to on our clock, but it gets rewarded eventually. Today, we were blessed enough to have it be rewarded before this game ended. We’re very appreciative of that and grateful for it.”
In addition to the injury to Jackson, inside linebacker Patrick Queen had to be carted off the field with a thigh injury. Harbaugh did not have a definitive outlook on his status after the game.
The Ravens are 8-4 and in first place in the AFC North. They control their own destiny for the playoffs.
"I can tell you right now, no one has it better than the Ravens," coach John Harbaugh said. "That was a great win. In December football, you have to find a way to win the game, and I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of every single guy; I’m proud of every single guy in that room there, player, coach, manager, trainer – everybody."
Baltimore only plays one team with a winning record the rest of the way — the season finale in Cincinnati. After last week's loss to lowly Jacksonville, it's clear the Ravens can't look past anyone.
It's going to be a wild ride the rest of the way ... and beyond.
Looking ahead, GM Eric DeCosta will have a busy offseason.
The Ravens will have the Jackson contract situation hanging over them this off-season. He'll likely receive the exclusive franchise tag that will cost the team just over $43 million next season.
The team also must decide if it wants to re-sign linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerback Marcus Peters.
It's never going to be easy with the Ravens.
However, they don't mind that lifestyle as long as they win.
“We’ll take it; we’ll take that win," said tight end Mark Andrews, who caught four passes for 53 yards. "No matter how it comes, we’re going to take that all day. We know our time’s coming; we know things are going to start clicking. We have a team that wants to be great. We come to work every day. There are ups [and] there are downs, but we stay level. So, that’s what it’s all about.”
