Both Sides of the Ball Struggle in Ravens 28-27 Loss to Jaguars
The Ravens expected a slugfest against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Week 12 matchup.
Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Baltimore has not played well in Jacksonville and the Jaguars were better than their losing record.
But this was one of the most heartbreaking losses in the series.
After a mostly frustrating game, Lamar Jackson threw a 62-yard pass to DeSean Jackson that set up the go-ahead touchdown to Josh Oliver.
However, the Ravens' defense could not make a stop in the final two minutes and allowed the Jaguars to go the length of the field and pull within a point on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Marvin Jones
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson made the ultimate gamble and went for the 2-point conversion. Lawrence threw a short pass to Zay Jones for the 28-27 victory.
Justin Tucker's 67-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left fell a yard short. The Ravens blew a 9-point fourth-quarter lead.
“The fact that we had a chance and I didn’t deliver, it’s heartbreaking to me at this point, especially when it’s a kick that I know I have the ability to make," Tucker said. "Nick [Moore] and Jordan [Stout] did an excellent job throughout the day. They did a great job on that kick, too. It just kind of wasn’t in the cards for us, and the only thing that we can do is just keep working, move on and try to beat a good Denver opponent when they come to visit us in Baltimore next week.”
Baltimore is 7-4 on the season and is now tied with Cincinnati for first place in the AFC North. The Bengals beat AFC South leaders, Tennessee, 20-16.
The Ravens scored two touchdowns in five trips inside the red zone. Costly mistakes and penalties also kept Jacksonville in the game.
"You try to call your best plays," Harbaugh said. "Sometimes you think you can run it in – you run it in [and] it doesn’t work – sometimes you try to pass it in. We just didn’t do a good job in the red zone is the bottom line. You go down there and kick – what – four field goals? That’s tough. Those are big trips down there, and obviously touchdowns are what you’re looking for. It’s something we have to improve on going forward. That’s really important for us.”
Lamar Jackson was inconsistent for a third straight game but was also let down by a couple of drops by Mark Andrews and Kenyan Drake.
Jackson was 16 of 32 for 254 with a touchdown (87.2 rating). He also ran for 89 yards on 14 carries and converted several third downs.
Running back Gus Edwards returned to the lineup and had 52 yards rushing on 16 carries with a touchdown. However, Edwards had a critical fumble late in the fourth quarter that led to Jacksonville's go-ahead field goal.
Tucker converted four field goals, including one that gave the Ravens a 12-10 lead early in the third quarter.
Baltimore linebacker Tyus Bowser forced a fumble on Lawrence that was recovered by Marcus Peters on the Jacksonville 25. The Ravens have forced a turnover in 13 consecutive games — the longest active streak in the NFL.
The Ravens' defense allowed one first down and forced a turnover over Jacksonville's three drives in the third quarter.
This time, the Ravens took full advantage of the short field and Edwards scored from 1-yard after Andrews dropped a potential scoring pass from Jackson and took a 19-10 lead with just over 13 minutes left in the game.
That was critical because the Jaguars pulled to 19-17 on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Jamal Agnew with 5:55 left in the game.
After Edwards fumbled at his own 16, the Jaguars took the 20-19 lead on a 29-yard field goal by Riley Patterson.
Lamar Jackson responded with a heave to DeSean Jackson on a second-and-20. Five plays later, Oliver caught a 12-yard touchdown pass and Andrews converted the 2-point conversion and the Ravens led 27-20.
However, the Ravens defense faltered and could not get a stop, allowing the Jaguars to score the game-winning touchdown.
“Generally, they completed some big passes on us, so that’s what it boils down to," Harbaugh said. "When they had to, they had some chunk passes and got down the field. That’s why I say hats off to them; they did a good job.”
Jaguars running Travis Etienne, who leads the 725 yards rushing and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, had to leave the game in the first quarter with a foot injury. However, JaMycal Hasty took his spot and had five catches for 67 yards with a touchdown.
Lawrence was 29 of 37 for 321 yards with three touchdowns and his sixth fumble of the season — the most in the league.
The Ravens had an eventful first drive. A fumble by Andrews was overturned, but then they had another delay-of-game penalty in the red zone that made Baltimore settle for a short field goal by Tucker.
The Ravens then stopped the Jaguars on a fourth-and-1 at midfield. It was the first time Baltimore made a stop on fourth down in seven tries this season.
That led to another drive into the red zone but the Ravens had to settle for another field goal by Tucker that boosted the lead to 6-0 late in the first quarter.
After Jackson fumbled the ball on a fourth-and-1, the Jaguars took a 7-6 lead with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Hasty, who ran past Marcus Peters with 9:57 left in the half.
The Ravens regained the lead on the ensuing drive on a 55-yard field goal by Tucker with 4:51 remaining.
Jacksonville led 10-9 at the break on a 22-yard field goal by Patterson as time expired. The Ravens held the ball for 18:45 in the first half, compared to 11:11 for the Jaguars.
Lawrence was 10-of-12 (83.3%) for 135 yards (11.3 y.p.a.) with a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 141.3
“We’re disappointed, but we’re moving on,” Harbaugh said. “We have to get ready for the next one. We have the Broncos coming in Sunday at our place, and we’re going to get ready for that.”
