ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 06:59 AM Posted yesterday at 06:59 AM The Ravens and Lamar Jackson usually thrive in prime-time situations, but Thursday against the Bengals they stumbled in the spotlight. Baltimore committed five turnovers in a 32-14 loss to a division rival, with Jackson turning the ball over three of the five times. He failed to throw a touchdown pass for a third consecutive week, leading to speculation about his health as he plays through a series of lower-body injuries. Jackson brushed aside his ailments, which have affected his hamstring, ankle, knee and toe, as an excuse for his poor play. “I just got to play consistent,” Jackson said. Others, however, are wondering what’s wrong with the Ravens’ offense. Here’s what pundits had to say about Baltimore’s 18-point defeat on a national stage: Matthew Berry, NBC Sports “Listen. Football is a weird game,” he posted on X. “Any given Sunday and all that. But Lamar Jackson being THIS brutal. Against THIS defense. After weeks of being incredibly subpar is nothing short of shocking.” Dan Orlovsky, ESPN “Ravens offense has been sloppy ever since LJ has come back….There’s been zero crisp to it,” he posted on X. “Most of the same players with the same coach who did historic stuff last year just haven’t been even close to what they were last season. Sloppy. Sloppy.” Damien Woody, ESPN “You’re not going to win any games turning the ball over five times,” Woody said on an episode of “SportsCenter.” “Anyone who’s been watching the Ravens of late, there’s some concerning signs, especially on the offensive side. You don’t see Lamar Jackson running as well as he used to in the past. He looks like he’s injured out there, playing with an injury. This offense is just not able to run the ball as we’ve once seen with the Baltimore Ravens. They’re 6-6. They fall into second place behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. They got to figure this out or Baltimore could be in a position where they’re on the outside looking in come the end of the season.” Shannon Sharpe, former Ravens tight end “When your offense turns the ball over five times, it makes the defense look even worse than what they played,” he said on his YouTube show “Nightcap.” “Because I don’t think they played bad tonight, given the position that the offense put them in. The offense put them in some terrible positions. Really, really bad positions, and they held them to field goals for the most part.” Tim Micallef, Sportsnet “Cincy’s run D is legendarily bad and you have Derrick Henry! Run the Ball!” he posted on X. “They did it 12 times over 2+ quarters and struggle … Then 5 of 7 times on the TD drive. Run the Ball!” Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated “Alright so if we gotta do this now … If the Bengals sweep the Ravens, then Baltimore would have 7 losses,” he said on X. “Meanwhile the Steelers have the Bills, Lions and Ravens twice left on their schedule. Could the Bengals win the North if they run the table? (Probably not but …)” Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article Quote
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