Bittersweet return

Everything about Ravens tight end Josh Oliver’s performance Sunday was storybook — everything but the ending.

Oliver, a third-round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2019, recorded team and career highs in receptions (four) and receiving yards (76) in his return to Jacksonville, including a go-ahead 12-yard touchdown catch with just over two minutes remaining. But that was little consolation after another late collapse.

“Definitely tough,” Oliver said of the loss to the Jaguars, who traded him to Baltimore in March 2021 for a conditional seventh-round pick, then watched him develop into one of the NFL’s best blocking tight ends. “It’s a blessing to be back out on the field. I have to thank God. Coming back here healthy is a huge thing for me, but it’s also tough. It’s a loss.”

Oliver, who struggled with injuries early in his career, now has single-season highs in receptions (11), receiving yards (130) and receiving touchdowns (two). But he could’ve had even more Sunday. One would-be touchdown pass bounced off his fingertips early in the third quarter, and the Ravens had to settle for a red-zone field goal.

Later, on his go-ahead catch-and-run score, Oliver could have stayed in the field of play in hopes of draining the clock further. But the first-down marker was at the Jaguars’ 1, and Oliver indicated that the Ravens’ priority then was taking the lead, not managing the clock.

“I think we were thinking, ‘Score first, get up and the cards [will] fall where they do,’ ” he said.

Controversial call

Harbaugh said he didn’t get an explanation from officials on why Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones’ last-minute, shin-dragging touchdown catch was confirmed after a review.

On the 10-yard grab over Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters, Jones got only one foot and part of his shin down inbounds. That was enough, though.

“I was pretty sure that wasn’t a catch, but I think whatever they called on the field, it was so close that it was going to stand,” defensive lineman Calais Campbell said. “I guess they say a shin counts as two feet or whatever. You know, I thought that for sure wasn’t a catch. [We’ve] got to just show up and play football. Whatever they call, you’ve got to live with it. We can’t control the circumstances. Just continue playing football. After they got that, you’ve got to find a way to get a stop and win the ballgame.”