The Baltimore Ravens could easily be 6-0 this season, but instead they're only 3-3 after blowing yet another big lead. This time it came in Week 6 against the streaking New York Giants, who erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to hand the Ravens a disappointing 24-20 defeat.
Baltimore went up 20-10 early in the fourth quarter after Lamar Jackson found Mark Andrews for a touchdown. But Daniel Jones and the Giants responded with a touchdown drive before disaster struck for Jackson, who made one of the worst decisions of his career with this interception:
Lamar Jackson with a rare crunch time interception 😳
The Ravens lead the Giants 20-17 with just under 3 minutes to play.pic.twitter.com/GLumo2LIBZ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 16, 2022
The Ravens picked off Jones in the end zone, only for it to be wiped out by a defensive pass interference call. Saquon Barkley then gave the Giants the lead with a touchdown run. Jackson had time and timeouts to lead a game-winning drive, but he lost a fumble to end the game:
Lamar Jackson stripped on what would be their final drive versus the Giants 😳pic.twitter.com/mEdebp5RNR
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 16, 2022
Afterward, Jackson lamented yet another game for the Ravens that got away:
Lamar Jackson said “we’re stopping ourselves.”
Here is Jackson on that critical interception: pic.twitter.com/58ca7n8T3v
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 16, 2022
Jackson had his share of magical plays, as always, but the late-game turnovers helped doomed Baltimore. He also only completed 17 out of 32 passes in a rather mediocre passing day, though he did rack up 77 yards on seven carries.
This has been an extremely disappointing start to the season for a Ravens team that entered the season with high expectations. In addition to this blown 10-point lead, they also blew a 21-point lead against the Miami Dolphins and a 17-point lead against the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore blew a 10-point lead against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, but a late drive for a game-winning field goal saved the day.
It's clear the Ravens have the talent to be a contender this season, but they need to do a better job closing games and avoiding crucial mistakes. There's still plenty of season left to right the ship.