Lamar Jackson Fumbles, Suffers Ankle Injury Down the Stretch in KC

Dec 09, 2018 at 06:11 PM

Ryan Mink

Editorial Director

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It was the most challenging moments Lamar Jackson had experienced during his young NFL career – a chance to grab a win in raucous Kansas City against the AFC's top team.

But after managing the game well, Jackson and the Ravens offense hit a wall when it mattered most. There was no storybook ending this time.

With Arrowhead Stadium rocking, Jackson fumbled at the end of regulation and was sacked and knocked from the game in overtime. He had X-rays on his ankle after the game, which came back negative.

"I'm good," Jackson said. "They just wanted to see what happened, but I'm good."

Despite the 27-24 overtime loss, Head Coach John Harbaugh liked what he saw from his rookie quarterback in the high-pressure situation.

"I thought he handled it really well," Harbaugh said. "I thought he did a great job, very poised, made plays, passing game, running game. He's just such a competitor. Very impressive."

Jackson finished 13-of-24 passing for 147 yards and two touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 100.5 was his highest as a starter.

Jackson picked his spots, made some nice throws and made plays with his legs, just as he had done over his three previous starts. He threw a clutch 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Brown with four minutes left in regulation, putting the Ravens ahead by 7 points.

The Ravens stuck to their formula, running the ball 39 times compared to 26 passing attempts. They lost the time of possession battle, 37 minutes to 31:27, but moved the ball well overall.

"I was just trying to manage the game," Jackson said. "Coming into the game, we had to do that to keep those guys off the field. We had to pound the ball, throw the ball around because people were waiting on that."

After the Chiefs and the wizardry of second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes tied the game at the end of regulation, Jackson had a chance to win it with 53 seconds left.

That's when Houston came blazing off the left edge to strip Jackson. The Chiefs recovered at the 23-yard line with a great chance to pull off a stunning win.

"I didn't see him," Jackson said. "I was looking the opposite way. He just made a good play, backside, and he got a strip-sack. So hats off to him."

There was perhaps nobody happier than Jackson when Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed a 43-yard field goal. Jackson got a chance at redemption.

After the Chiefs grinded out a field goal on the first possession of overtime, the Ravens needed a score to tie or win. It started well with a 14-yard completion to wide receiver Willie Snead IV on third-and-7, then a 6-yard run by Jackson that put Baltimore at midfield.

Following a 2-yard run, Jackson was pressured and scrambled outside to elude a sack, but left tackle Ronnie Stanley was flagged for holding. That put the Ravens in second-and-18, and Jackson was sacked by Houston and Dee Ford, who rolled over his ankle.

It's the second straight game in which he's been knocked out of action, as he was evaluated for a concussion in Atlanta last week. Jackson said he wanted to stay in the game "very bad."

"We were down three points, overtime. We were trying to win the game," Jackson said. "I wanted to get out there and help my team win the game. I just couldn't do it."

Robert Griffin III's final two desperation passes went incomplete and the Ravens were forced to swallow a painful 27-24 overtime loss. It's Jackson's first loss as an NFL starter and puts more pressure on Baltimore down the final playoff stretch.

"Very difficult," Jackson said. "We were on a roll, coming in 3-0 off our bye week and then we come here … hats off to our whole team; they played a heck of a game. We were playing a great opponent and we just didn't get it done today. We just have to regroup and get ready for Tampa."

The condition of Jackson's ankle will be monitored closely this week, especially with quarterback Joe Flacco (right hip) physically ready to play, per Harbaugh.

"He was cleared after Friday," Harbaugh said. "He could play medically. Just didn't have him prepared enough, I didn't feel like."