On Sunday night, the Ravens took on the Jaguars in Baltimore as the end of the season came closer and the race for the playoffs tightened. Baltimore kept their playoff hopes alive with a 40-14 win against Jacksonville.
Starting with the ball, QB Lamar Jackson threw an interception on his third pass that resulted in a Jacksonville ball at the JAX 2. Two plays later, the defense managed a safety with a sack from LB Matthew Judon for the first score of the game. With the ball in their hands again, Baltimore’s offense led a successful drive capped off by a WR Miles Boykin touchdown reception to go up 9-0. Jacksonville looked to get on the board but failed a 4th down at the BAL 47. The first quarter ended with the Ravens in a strong position and an opportunity to score at the JAX 13.
Baltimore started the second quarter strong with another touchdown from RB J.K. Dobbins to widen their lead. Stopping the Jacksonville offense, the Ravens managed to score again on a 46-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. Trying to gain some momentum, the Jaguars tried and failed yet another 4th down attempt. Taking advantage of the turnover, Jackson and the offense dominated the defense with an 8-play, 57-yard drive. The QB threw his first touchdown of the game with a pass to WR Dez Bryant, his first since 2017. Stopping the Jaguars again, the Ravens closed the half with a field goal attempt but failed on a 57-yard attempt. Baltimore entered the half with a comfortable lead and almost guaranteed victory.
Jacksonville finally got some momentum in the second half with a touchdown on their first drive from a 17-yard pass from QB Minshew. The Ravens responded with a touchdown of their own as Jackson scrambled and reached the end zone on a 5-yard run. Trying to mount a comeback, the Jaguars looked to score again but fumbled on a sack by LB Yannick Ngakoue that led to a Ravens possession. The third quarter ended with the Ravens dominating a much less talented team and another win within their reach.
The fourth quarter featured another dominating performance from the Ravens. Jackson scored again on a 3-yard pass to TE Mark Andrews to further spread their lead. Jacksonville failed on their next drive and was forced to punt on their first set of downs. Using their backup QB Huntley, the Ravens ran down the clock and failed on a 4th and 20 to give the Jaguars just one more chance to score with four minutes left. Minshew managed another touchdown for the Jaguars, but it proved to be too little, too late. The Ravens took a knee to secure their 40-14 victory and their playoff hopes alive for the moment.
The Ravens sit outside of the playoff picture despite their 9-5 record. They will look to surpass the Browns and Dolphins with just two games left to play to secure a Wild Card spot. Baltimore will play the Giants on Sunday and the Bengals the following week to clinch a postseason visit.
Featured Image courtesy of bulldog2518k via Flickr Creative Commons
