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The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills 27-25 in the Divisional Round. They were down 11 at halftime but stormed back and nearly tied the game in the third quarter. They got the ball with a chance to take the lead but Mark Andrews fumbled the ball. Then, a game-tying two-point conversion slipped through his fingers in the final moments. Lamar Jackson took some blame off of Andrews' shoulders after the Ravens' loss.
“I'm just as hurt as Mark,” Jackson told ESPN's Jamison Hensley. “[It's not] his fault. All of us played a factor in that game. It's a team effort. We're not going to put that on Mark because he's been battling all season.
Jackson continued, “He's been doing all the great things he's been doing all season. It [doesn't] always go our way. We want it to, but at the moment in time, it's not going our way. We need to figure it out.”
Last year, the Ravens lost after Zay Flowers fumbled the ball on the goal line. This year, Flowers was out with injury and the two tight ends carried the load for the passing game. But Andrews' mistakes will be the lasting memory of this game.
The Ravens need to improve for a deep playoff run
The Ravens' defense dominated the second half of this game, holding the Bills to only six points and giving the offense plenty of chances. But they could not stop Buffalo in the first half and were down 11 points. Jackson's fumble was a big turning point in the game, taking at least three points off the board and putting Buffalo in the red zone.
While they had a great regular season, things need to change for the Ravens to improve. Jackson had nine turnovers all season but had two miserable giveaways in the first half of this game. He put the ball on the turf on a Damar Hamlin sack and Von Miller flipped the field and changed the game.
Much of the offseason conversation will be about improving the Ravens' defense after they took a step back this year. Even though they stepped up in the second half, they struggled at points and will get reinforcements. Bringing Derrick Henry back will be key, as he is an unrestricted free agent. Mark Andrews is as well, so that could have been his last moment in the Purple and Black.
