The Baltimore Ravens took a tough blow to their AFC North title hopes as they were thoroughly outplayed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12.
Baltimore failed to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter of the game, and the offense was misfiring in almost all areas: play-calling, sloppy penalties, lack of passing rhythm, and a stunted run game.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson led the team as the top rusher and made a few impressive throws, yet he looked far removed from his early season MVP form and had some questioning whether he was truly an elite quarterback.
After the Week 12 defeat, a Twitter user criticized Jackson’s ongoing contract situation, suggesting that the Ravens should let Jackson walk next offseason after Jackson’s poor performances of late, and Jackson clapped back:
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson vents his frustration over recent defeat on Twitter
Jackson finished Week 12 with a 87.2 quarterback rating compared to Trevor Lawrence’s 129.8 rating. He was able to dance his way out of pressure at times but struggled to establish a strong passing or run game from the start, and he and the rest of the offense will rue not capitalizing on drives earlier in the game.
The Ravens scored four field goals instead of touchdowns in the first three quarters, a difference of 14 points.
When asked about the team’s red zone production issues, Jackson didn’t really have a solid answer, saying that the Ravens had all the “opportunities” to win the game.
And they really did. Jackson himself missed some lay-ups to Demarcus Robinson near the end zone, though Jackson did efficiently drive down the field to set up a potential game-winning field goal with 14 seconds left in play.
Ultimately, the Ravens’ uptick in passing production came too little too late, and Tucker fell short of setting yet another kicking record.
One loss still does not make a poor quarterback. Jackson has plenty of games left in the season to put the Ravens back on track and solidify his future with the franchise.