Lamar Jackson’s 2 fumbles doom Ravens against Raiders
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson tried to do what he so often does. Make a play. Break contain. Escape the pocket. Buy one more millisecond to run or throw.
But this time, in overtime against the Raiders on “Monday Night Football” at Allegiant Stadium, there wasn’t a play to be made.
The pocket collapsed, and Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib tackled Jackson and poked the football free, paving the way for Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr’s touchdown pass to Zay Jones for a 33-27 victory.
“That ticked me off. I hate fumbling. I hate any type of turnover,” Jackson said. “I could have just taken a sack, if anything. It happens in football.”
Jackson fumbled twice, undermining what was otherwise an exemplary outing by the 2019 NFL MVP. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown and added 86 rushing yards on 12 carries.
But it was all for naught because of the second fumble.
“I’d seen the (pocket) breaking down. I tried to push the lineman, tried to get out of the pocket, and (Nassib) hit me while I was doing it,” Jackson said. “I’ll try to hold onto the ball next time. … It happens.”
In two-plus years as Baltimore’s starter, Jackson has established himself as one of the NFL’s premier players. The MVP award solidified that, but he’s also the only quarterback to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in consecutive seasons and is 30-8 as a starter.
Sure, he was down two running backs in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who are out for the season with knee injuries. But it appeared he wouldn’t need them against the Raiders.
Jackson danced around the pocket on Baltimore’s first possession, eventually breaking containment and scrambling around the left end for 18 yards for his first highlight play of the game.
And certainly not his last.
He bought more time in the pocket midway through the second quarter, eluding three pass rushers and rolling right before finding Marquise Brown for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a 14-0 lead. His 28-yard scramble late in the fourth quarter appeared to set up the game-winning field goal.
But for all the brilliance, there was also the carelessness — on the final play and on another one midway through the third quarter.
Jackson tried again to make something from nothing by leaving the pocket with a 17-10 lead, running up the middle and switching the ball from his left hand to his right. Raiders defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson poked the ball free as Jackson was maneuvering it.
The Raiders tied the game five plays later.
“He had two fumbles. But we’ve got to get stops after that,” Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said. “We’ve got to get the ball back to him because we know what he can do.”
Jackson will have 16 more games to showcase what he can do, including one Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. But he dropped the ball against the Raiders.
“Any loss you have is going to be tough,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to keep building. Keep stacking. Keep getting better every day, and we’ll be fine. But that loss hurt.”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.