The Baltimore Ravens’ season came to a close on Sunday night in Buffalo in a playoff loss to the Bills that was filled with self-inflicted wounds, including three turnovers. Despite out-gaining the Bills on total yards and moving the ball with relative ease on third down, they failed to advance to the AFC Championship, in part, because they coughed the ball away too many times. And Lamar Jackson is well aware.
The two-time NFL MVP stewed over his team’s turnovers in the playoff loss while speaking to reporters postgame. Specifically, Jackson was asked about a key turnover committed by Mark Andrews in the second half that erased a scoring opportunity for Baltimore and helped Buffalo add to its lead. Instead of talking about that specific instance, Jackson expressed frustration with the team’s overall inability to hang onto the football, particularly with himself as he committed two of those turnovers.
“In the first half, I had two costly turnovers,” Jackson said.
On the team’s second possession of the game, Jackson tossed an interception to Bills safety Taylor Rapp on a throw intended for Rashod Bateman. During the presser, the quarterback called the throw “a B.S. interception” on his part. The ensuing possession then saw Jackson fumble the ball after being pressured by Damar Hamlin, and Von Miller scooped up the loose ball. At the time, it was a 7-7 game, but Josh Allen rushed for a touchdown four plays after the fumble, and Buffalo held onto the lead for the rest of the evening.
“Can’t have that shit,” Jackson said of the turnovers. “That’s why we lost the game. As you can see, we move the ball wonderfully it’s … hold on to the f—ing ball. Sorry for the language. That shit’s annoying. I’m tired of this shit.”
Turnovers in the playoffs have plagued the Ravens throughout Jackson’s tenure as the Ravens own a 1-10 turnover margin in the quarterback’s first four playoff losses. That includes losing the turnover battle 3-0 in last year’s AFC Championship, so this is an all too familiar and frustrating feeling for Jackson and Baltimore.
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