Lamar Jackson takes blame for playoff loss in expletive-filled press conference

Does Lamar Jackson deserve blame for the Baltimore Ravens latest postseason loss? According to the quarterback himself, yes.

Following the 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills, a lot of the attention went to Mark Andrews, Baltimore’s All-Pro tight end. On the surface, that seems fair. Davis had two costly fourth-quarter mistakes. With the Ravens down 24-19, Andrews fumbled the ball after what looked like a big gain into Buffalo territory. Then, after getting open on Baltimore’s game-tying two-point conversion attempt, Andrews failed to hold onto Jackson’s pass.

But rather than focusing on Andrews’ miscues, Jackson instead looked at two of his own from earlier in the game.

Jackson was also responsible for a pair of turnovers. The first came in the first quarter, when a long pass got away from Jackson and fell into the arms of Buffalo’s Taylor Rapp for an interception. Then, in the second quarter, after initially struggling to handle a snap, Jackson was sacked and fumbled. The second mistake was a potentially big swing in the game, as the turnover not only ended a drive that was already deep into Buffalo territory, but the subsequent return of the fumble brought the Bills deep into Baltimore territory. Buffalo scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession, taking a lead that it wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the game.

“In the first half, I had two costly turnovers,” Jackson said in his press conference, H/T Jamison Hensley, ESPN. “Not holding the safety. Me just knowing the coverage, me knowing it’s man — threw a BS interception.”

Jackson continued.

“Like I’ve been saying all season, every time we’re in a situation like this. Turnovers play a factor. Penalties play a factor. Tonight, the turnovers. You can’t have that s***. That’s why we lost the game. Because as you can see, we’re moving onto the ball wonderfully — hold onto the f***ing ball. I’m sorry for my language but this s***’s annoying. I’m tired of this s***,” he said.

Jackson now has a 3-5 record in the playoffs. Sunday’s 27-25 loss in Buffalo was his closest defeat, but it was the third in his career to be decided by seven points or less (the Ravens also lost 24-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022-23 postseason, but Jackson was injured and missed the game). When games are decided by that margin, any play could be the difference between a win and a loss. When a player finds himself in the latter category, it’s easy to understand how he can be frustrated, as Jackson was on Sunday night.