Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens lost 27-25 to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. The two-time NFL MVP once again came short in the playoffs and now will have to wait another year to chase his dream of winning the Super Bowl.
Jackson played quite well in the second half and put his team in a position to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Mark Andrews’ multiple mistakes hurt the Ravens’ chances and essentially handed the Bills a trip to the AFC Championship Game.
Stephen A. Smith Deflects Blame From Lamar Jackson
Jackson threw an interception in the first half and also lost the ball on a fumble, but he made up for it in the second half. Andrews’ mistakes came at the worst possible time, as the Ravens had no time left to bounce back.
Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe Jackson should be blamed for the loss. He thinks Andrews, who is usually a very reliable player, didn’t keep his end of the bargain.
“This is not on Lamar Jackson,” wrote Smith via X (formerly known as Twitter). “He did his job. Unfortunately, the great Mark Andrews — who hasn’t lost a fumble since 2019 and doesn’t drop passes — got stripped for a fumble and then dropped the 2-pt conversion that would’ve tied the game with under 2 min left. Tragic! Absolutely Tragic.”
The two-point conversion is no good 😳
📺: #BALvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/s1DAo0tdm1— NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2025
Jackson completed 72% of his throws against the Bills for 254 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He had an excellent passer rating of 114.4 and rushed for 39 yards on six carries.
Andrews finished the game with 61 yards on five receptions, but his fumble in the fourth quarter helped set up a field goal for the Bills. That would have been forgiven had he caught the ball on the two-point attempt to tie the game.
It was a devastating loss for the Ravens, as dependable players like Andrews and Jackson made mistakes that the team was not accustomed to. The star tight end will be in the last year of his contract next season.
Self-Inflicted Mistakes Cost the Ravens for a Second Straight Year
Last season, the Ravens lost in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs because they didn’t run the ball enough. Baltimore learned from it and signed Derrick Henry in the free agency to further bolster their running game, and it looked great in the regular season.
Henry had a productive game against the Bills as he rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. The Ravens’ run game dominated the Bills’ defense in the third quarter and could have helped the team win if Andrews hadn’t fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter.
Mark Andrews tonight:
— 2Q drop
— 4Q fumble
— 2PT conversion drop pic.twitter.com/eWuccBr6OJ— StatMuse Football (@statmusefb) January 20, 2025
Mistakes from Jackson and Andrews gave the Bills a win, as the AFC East team didn’t do anything special on offense to win the game. Josh Allen threw for just 127 yards and rushed for 20 yards on 10 carries. He scored two rushing touchdowns, but the Ravens’ defense did their job of containing the Bills’ offense.
You could argue Baltimore’s roster is better than Buffalo’s, but in the end, the Bills avoided costly mistakes. The Ravens, for the second straight season, have only themselves to blame for their playoff exit.
