ExtremeRavens Posted October 8 Posted October 8 Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman apologized Wednesday for what appeared to be his fault in Cooper Rush’s third interception during Sunday’s demoralizing loss to the Houston Texans. “I looked up for the ball and it wasn’t there,” he said. “I looked down. I thought he threw it away. It was too late by the time I was trying to catch up to the ball. I apologize for what it looked like to the fans but it wasn’t a give-up on the ball.” The play in question came during the fourth quarter. Baltimore had the ball at its own 45-yard line. The game was already well out of reach, with the Ravens trailing 44-10 with six minutes remaining. Bateman, who signed a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension this summer, ran a one-on-one go route up the right sideline. Rush uncorked a pass 30-plus yards down the field. Bateman appeared to gain outside leverage, turn his head up then slow down. He hit the breaks before noticing the ball. By that point, it was too late, and Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter beat him to the spot, high-pointing the interception — Rush’s third of the afternoon and second that wasn’t his fault. Bateman finished with zero catches on three targets. Future Hall of Famer and color commentator J.J. Watt said on the broadcast, “He just stopped,” postulating that maybe Bateman lost the ball in the sun. CBS cameras panned to Rush, who could only throw his hands up in frustration at what appeared to be his receiver throwing in the towel. Kamari Lassiter with some teach tape for the young CBs there pic.twitter.com/NXfZQeEsdy — NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) October 5, 2025 “If anything,” Bateman said, “I want it a little more to help this team win games. I just got to keep running.” Coach John Harbaugh was asked about the interception earlier this week and turned the question back on the reporter. “Well, what did you see?” Harbaugh asked. The reporter said it appeared as if Bateman gave up on the route. “I don’t know why,” Harbaugh said, “I haven’t talked to him about it, but you have to keep running through that ball, no doubt.” The fifth-year receiver has been an ascendent piece in Todd Monken’s offense since last year. In 2024, he reached career highs in receiving yards (756), touchdown catches (9) and targets (72), which earned him the contract extension. It seems as if Bateman has fallen behind this season within a crowded room of pass catchers. After five weeks, he 112 yards on 10 catches with one touchdown. Bateman acknowledged that the play felt like a microcosm of all that has been frustrating about Baltimore’s offense and the larger disappointing 1-4 start to this season. Even before star quarterback Lamar Jackson went down with a hamstring injury, the offense “lacked rhythm,” as Harbaugh said. A backup quarterback with a different play style seemed to exacerbate those issues, considering the Ravens scored one touchdown and only crossed midfield three times Sunday. “That play wasn’t gonna change anything,” Bateman said, “but I could’ve went a little harder and made it better than what it looked like. Just a [crappy] day all around for us so we’ll try to be better. “We deserve all the criticism,” he continued. “We take it. We’ll handle it. Just gotta fix it.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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