Lamar Jackson More Like Willis Reed, Than Paul Pierce

BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson had a heroic effort that will be long remembered past the tumultuous 2020 season.

The Ravens quarterback was forced to leave the game against the Browns because of cramps. Just as Baltimore was on the verge of a devastating loss to the Browns, Jackson re-emerged from the locker room and led his team to a 47-42 victory that kept its playoff fully alive.

Jackson's performance harkened back to the effort by New York Knicks captain Willis Reed who famously hobbled onto the court for game seven of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and inspired his team to a victory.

🤣🤣Yall trippin I definitely wasn’t taking a 💩 https://t.co/Tf4zoFpQ15
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) December 15, 2020

Jackson insisted that he was not like former Boston Celtics small forward/shooting guard Paul Pierce, who was famously carried off the court in a wheelchair during the 2008 playoffs. It was later revealed Pierce was not injured; he simply needed an emergency bathroom break.

“I was cramping. I didn’t pull a Paul Pierce," Jackson said. "I didn’t pull a Paul Pierce. I was cramping.”

After retreating to the locker room, Jackson re-entered the game late in the fourth quarter when his backup Trace McSorley was forced out of the game with a leg injury. Jackson threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown on a fourth-and-5 for a 42-35 lead with 1:51 left in the game.

Just before leaving the game, Jackson missed a couple of chances to extend the Ravens lead when he overthrew wide receiver Willie Snead and tight end Mark Andrews.

The Ravens caught a break when linebacker Tyus Bowser intercepted Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and returning the ball to the 1-yard line. Rookie J.K. Dobbins (13 carries, 53 yards) ran for the short score on the ensuing snap, but Justin Tucker's extra-point attempt was blocked by Vincent Taylor. However, the Ravens still led 34-20 with 4:21 left in the third quarter.

“I started cramping on the field. Right before those two passes, I threw to Willie [Snead IV] and Mark [Andrews] – the overthrow – I was cramping in my forearm," Jackson said. "And I was telling Coach [John Harbaugh], ‘I need to get some salt in my system really quick.’ We punted the ball, I was on the sideline, Tyus [Bowser] ended up catching the pick – the interception – we go down and score. And right after that, I gave the ball to J.K. [Dobbins], and my legs just started cramping. I’m like, ‘I need something now to help me get better really quick, because this is a crucial game, right here. Both teams are playing their hearts out.’ "

Jackson then turned to the Ravens' head team physician Dr. Andrew Tucker and assistant certified athletic trainer Kevin Domboski to get some help with stretching and doses of salt.

There was more calamity when Baltimore backup quarterback Trace McSorley was forced out of the game with a leg injury. Jackson sprinted onto the field because the only other option at quarterback was Snead, who was already warming up on the sideline.

"Trace was doing a great job driving the ball down the field, then I saw my guy go down," Jackson said. "And as I’m seeing him go down, I was still stretching. I was catching an attitude, because it wasn’t going the way we wanted it to. And then I saw him go down, and I was like, ‘We’ve got to start now. We’ve just got to go out there now.’

"And I started running out there – ‘Kev’ [Kevin Domboski] was running with me. It was fourth down, the offensive line blocked their tail off, and our guys just made great catches, and we came out with the victory.”

Telltale IV sign.
For those that doubted the muscle cramps and need for intravenous fluids: the bandage wrap around the forearm near elbow on the non-dominant side. pic.twitter.com/t0rWT06WOm
— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) December 15, 2020

The Ravens thought they had secured the victory, but the Browns responded on the ensuing drive when Baker Mayfield threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kareem Hunt that tied the game, 42-42, with 1:04 remaining.

There was just enough time for Jackson to put together the game-deciding drive. Jackson had critical completions to Mark Andrews that provided enough yards for Tucker to split the uprights in the closing seconds for the game-winning 55-yard field goal with seven seconds left. Baltimore secured a safety on the ensuing kick-off.

Jackson carried the ball nine times for 124 yards, which was the most-ever by a quarterback on a Monday night, with a pair of touchdowns. He also completed 11 of 17 pass attempts for 163 yards with the touchdown to Brown.

"It’s crucial games for us right now," Jackson said. "All I’m thinking about is winning that game. We had enough time on the clock, and I was like, ‘Man, it’s Go Time.’ It was just ‘Go Time’ for us, and it was our time, I feel. Our team fought hard. The offense played great today. We still have little things to clean up – we didn’t play a perfect game. But we’re where we want to be right now. We’re excelling right now.”