KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lamar Jackson insisted the Baltimore Ravens were not seeking revenge after the Kansas City Chiefs beat them in the AFC championship game seven months ago, denying him the opportunity to play for his first Super Bowl title.
It sure looked as if he was trying to get some anyway Thursday night.
Jackson threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and ran for 122 yards, gamely trying to rally Baltimore from a late 10-point deficit against the two-time and defending NFL champions. And it looked for a moment as if Jackson had at least forced overtime when he hit Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone with no time left.
The play immediately went to a video review, though, and the evidence was clear: The tight end’s toe had landed on the endline, putting him out of bounds. The pass was incomplete. The game was over. And the disappointment quickly set in.
It was a 27-20 loss, the fifth for Jackson in six tries against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, and one that could only have been upstaged by the 17-10 loss that the Ravens endured on a cold January night with the Super Bowl in their sights.
Jackson has long been one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks, winning his second MVP award after last season. And he has not only proven his worth in big games but against some of the league’s best quarterbacks, going 2-0 against Tom Brady before his retirement and winning four of his five games against Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Yet he can’t seem to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs, no matter what magic he brings to the field.
For most of the opener Thursday, Jackson was having another night to forget. His rebuilt offensive line was called for illegal formation three times in the first seven plays, and it broke down completely two series later, when Jackson was strip-sacked by Chris Jones deep in his own territory to set up an easy field goal for the Chiefs.
Then came the final two series of the game, when Jackson started to play some sandlot football as he tried to steal a win.
He led a 12-play, 56-yard drive to set up Justin Tucker’s field goal, closing the Ravens to within a touchdown with 4:54 left in the game. And when the league’s No. 1 scoring defense last season forced a quick punt, Jackson had one last opportunity.
He kept going to Likely, who had 111 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Jackson used his feet when he needed to, including a scramble on third-and-2 that gave the Ravens a fresh set of downs. Three plays later, he spied Rashod Bateman streaking down the sideline for a 38-yard completion that put them at the Kansas City 10 with 19 seconds left,
Jackson’s first shot to the end zone was a throw-away with nobody open, but Jackson appeared to miss wide open Zay Flowers in the back of the end zone on the next play. With one last shot with four seconds to go, Jackson found himself under pressure, yet found enough space to keep the play alive and spot Likely coming open in the back of the end zone.
The throw was a bit high, Likely thought he had made the catch, but a video review ultimately proved otherwise.
