Ravens Need Lamar Jackson to Continue Playoff Run
BALTIMORE — It's painfully obvious the Ravens need Lamar Jackson back in the lineup.
With the starting quarterback sidelined with a knee injury, they have scored two touchdowns in the past three games.
A 13-3 loss to the Browns in Week 15 is particularly devastating.
The Ravens (9-5) fell out of first place in the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals, who have won an NFL-best five straight games.
Cincinnati and Baltimore play in the regular-season finale that could decide the division crown. As it stands, the Bengals have a huge advantage.
Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley struggles to move the offense. He also makes costly mistakes, such as losing yards instead of throwing the ball away and tossing interceptions inside the red zone.
Coach John Harbaugh tried to deflect the blame from Huntley with the recent struggles of the offense. The Ravens' play-calling has put him in a tough position. They dominate on the ground but then get away from the run at critical times.
"We have a heck of a quarterback sitting right here [in Tyler Huntley]," Harbaugh said. "This guy knows what he’s doing. He plays with his heart. He’s very much capable of doing all the things that we need to do in the passing game. It’s not that; it’s everything else. We just have to improve on all of those things.”
The Ravens ran for 198 yards against the Browns but still lost the game. There was frustration among the players over the latest performance.
"Some days you are able to get a ton of offense, and you cannot score," guard Kevin Zeitler said. "The ball just did not roll our way today. Obviously, it is on us. You should not rush for 200 yards and have three points.”
The Ravens desperately need Jackson back in the lineup to keep pace with the Bengals. With the recent injuries, there's uncertainty whether Jackson will even be fully healthy again this season.
But even a limited Jackson is better than the alternative.
“You can’t turn the ball over; you have to run routes the right way to get between defenders and free the ball; you can’t fumble the ball; you have to put the ball away when you’re getting upfield," Harbaugh said. "That’s winning football; our guys know that. It starts with that. We have just to have a better passing game, basically. It’s not a good enough passing game right now across the board to do the things that we’re hoping to do.
"So, that will be priority one. Every area can get better at something in certain things, but from an offensive standpoint, that’s something that we have to go to work on, and we will.”
