Lamar Jackson and the Ravens fell in heartbreaking fashion in the NFL playoffs again, this time losing to the Bills, 27-25, in the AFC divisional round Sunday night.
Baltimore jumped out to a quick start, taking a 7-0 lead on a surgical opening drive. But the Ravens slowed down after that as they fell behind at halftime, 21-10. Baltimore rallied back in the second half but never fully erased the deficit. A pair of failed 2-point conversion attempts in the second half kept the Ravens from pulling even.
Here’s what national analysts had to say about Baltimore’s season-ending loss.
Dan Orlovsky, ESPN analyst
The former NFL quarterback had no interest in blaming Sunday’s loss on Jackson, the favorite to win this year’s NFL MVP Award.
“If you put the loss on Lamar tonight, respectfully, you’re a loser,” Orlovsky posted on X. “Mark Andrews is one of the all time ravens — he had a brutal drop and fumble yes. If you’re gonna use that to trash him, respectfully, you’re a loser.”
Jackson turned the ball over twice for the first time all season, but he also rallied the Ravens late. He led Baltimore on an 88-yard drive in the final minutes, and his 2-point conversion pass to Andrews was on target. Baltimore’s usually reliable tight end dropped the pass, which was only his third drop the entire season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN personality
Smith agreed with Orlovsky, his ESPN colleague.
“This is not on [Lamar Jackson],” Smith posted on X. “He did his job. Unfortunately, the great Mark Andrews — who hasn’t lost a fumble since 2019, and doesn’t drop passes — got stripped for a fumble and then dropped the 2-pt conversion that would’ve tied the game with under 2 min left. Tragic! Absolutely Tragic.”
Jackson finished the game with 254 passing yards and two touchdowns, as well as 39 rushing yards on six carries. He averaged 10.2 yards per pass attempt, while Bills quarterback Josh Allen averaged 5.8 yards per pass and 2 yards per carry.
“Appreciate the accountability on @Lj_era8’s part,” Smith added. “Right thing to do. Kudos to him. But it’s on [Andrews]. So sad. The guy has been great for years — Mr. Reliable. What a horrible time for this to happen to him. But it happened.”
Emmanuel Acho, FS1 analyst
“People will slander Lamar Jackson, bring up Lamar Jackson’s playoff history and bring up his turnovers, ignore them,” Acho, a former NFL linebacker, posted on X. “Mark Andrews cost them the game. Lamar took his team 88 yards down the field in 8 plays & threw a dot to Mark Andrews to tie the game.”
Andrews also had a fourth-quarter fumble. He finished the game with five catches for 61 yards on seven targets.
Jordan Schultz, FOX Sports NFL insider
“He may not have gotten the dub, but Lamar Jackson proved – once again – that he is not only a tremendous player, but a leader and champion as well — highlighted by a clutch, eight-play, 88-yard TD drive to end the game,” Schultz posted on X. “It’s only a matter of time before he wins the big one.”
Jackson is 3-5 in the postseason as a starting quarterback, and he’s yet to reach the Super Bowl in his illustrious career.
Bill Barnwell, ESPN NFL analyst
Barnwell commented not on Jackson’s legacy, but rather the shock of Baltimore’s failed 2-point conversion attempts. The first was batted down at the line of scrimmage, but intended target tight end Isaiah Likely was open. Andrews was open on the Ravens’ final offensive play, but he couldn’t hold onto Jackson’s pass.
“Ravens got two open receivers on two two-point tries and didn’t score on either of them,” Barnwell wrote on X. “Not ideal!”
Baltimore went 1-for-5 on 2-point conversion attempts this season and is now 12-for-29 (41.4%) since 2018.
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