The Baltimore Ravens’ season ended devastatingly after rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a potential game-winning, AFC North-clinching kick in a 26-24 loss that eliminated the Ravens and gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the North title.
This season has featured its fair share of disappointment, but the missed field goal was the perfect bow on what has felt like a cursed season for the Ravens, marked by injuries and underperformance.
It’s not often a quarterback has to make multiple fourth-quarter comebacks in the same game. However, with the Ravens’ season on the line, that was reality for Lamar Jackson, but he delivered.
Lamar Was Let Down
The first comeback Lamar Jackson made was hitting wide receiver Zay Flowers for a 50-yard touchdown pass with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens a 17-13 lead. Jackson’s next comeback attempt happend with just over two minutes left in the game when connected with Flowers once again, but this time for a 64-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a 24-20 lead.
Throughought his NFL career Jackson has been labeled a player who comes up small in big-game situations, but on Sunday night, he did everything in his power to combat that claim. Unfortunately, Jackson ended up making history in the process.
According to NFL senior researcher Dante Koplowitz-Fleming on Twitter, Jackson became the first quarterback to have two 50-plus-yard touchdown passes in a fourth quarter and lose.
“Lamar Jackson is the first quarterback in NFL history to lose a game after throwing multiple go-ahead 4th quarter touchdowns of 50+ yards,” wrote Koplowitz-Fleming.
Jackson, even after his two touchdown passes to Flowers were squandered, once again led what should have been a game-winning drive with a clutch fourth-down strike to Isaiah Likely to put the Ravens in field goal range. Still, once again, the opportunity to win slipped through the Ravens’ hands. Now, Jackson is searching for answers.
Stunned
Lamar Jackson silenced critics after earlier in the game it seemed they were being proven right. In the third quarter Jackson was intercepted by T.J. Watt, and had less than 100 passing yards going into the fourth quarter.
Jackson finished the fourth quarter going six for eight on his passes for 172 yards, two touchdowns, and a 156.2 passer rating. Still, Jackson’s efforts ultimately weren’t enough.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com wrote about Jackson being stunned in his post-game press conference about how the end of the game played out.
“Definitely. Definitely stunned, I thought we had it in the bag,” Jackson said. “I thought we had it in the bag. I don’t know what else we can do.”
Also, despite rumors swirling of head coach John Harbaugh’s future and his own future as a Raven, Jackson wasn’t in the right headspace following the shocking defeat to think about anything more than what had just occurred.
“We just lost a game — a divisional game — a game to put us in the playoffs,” Jackson said when asked if he feels like he’ll remain a Raven in 2026. “I’m not even thinking about that right now, to be honest with you. I’m still caught up in what just happened. That’s not my focus right now.”
Whatever the future may hold, and despite a disappointing rollercoaster season, Jackson gave it his all to will the Ravens into the playoffs. Unfortunately, as in previous Ravens seasons, but for different reasons, it just wasn’t enough.
Lamar Jackson Makes Unfortunate History