Ravens clinch playoff berth
Retain top spot in AFC with win over Jaguars
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Lamar Jackson dropped back to pass, ducked his head and somehow spun free from the clutches of swarming 6-foot-3, 275-pound outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot. As the quarterback regained his balance, he shuffled a few more steps back and uncorked an ill-advised pass toward Isaiah Likely, who appeared to be open at the Jaguars’ 5-yard line.
Except he was bracketed by cornerback Darious Williams and safety Andrew Wingard.
It didn’t matter.
Like a basketball player going up for a rebound, the 6-foot-4, 241-pound secondyear tight end snatched the ball out of the air between the two defenders. Two plays later, running back Gus Edwards plowed into the end zone from a yard out.
The long pass was Jackson at his best and most nerve-wracking. It also gave Baltimore a 10-point cushion early in the fourth quarter as the Ravens pulled away and went on to knock off the Jaguars, 23-7, in front of 68,021 at EverBank Field.
The victory clinched a playoff berth for the Ravens (11-3) and keeps them atop the AFC and on pace to clinch the No. 1 seed, homefield advantage and a first-round bye with three games left in the regular season. The Miami Dolphins (10-4), Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) and Cleveland Browns (9-5) all won on Sunday to keep pace in the race for the top spot in the conference.
For three quarters, it looked like this one might come down to the wire the way it did a season ago.
After the Jaguars reached at least the Ravens’ 36-yard line on four of their first five possessions but came away with zero points, Jacksonville finally capitalized on the Ravens’ defense when Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence connected with wide receiver Jamal Agnew on a 65-yard bomb midway through the third quarter. On the play-action pass, it appeared there was a miscommunication between cornerback Arthur Maulet and safety Geno Stone.
That left a wide-open Agnew, who hauled in the long pass, cut back to the inside past a sprawling Stone and waltzed into the end zone for Jacksonville’s first points of the game.
It was Lawrence’s longest completion this season and cut the deficit to three after the Ravens had staked a 10-0 lead at the half. It was also as close as the Jaguars would get the rest of the night, with Justin Tucker adding two more field goals from 26 and 34 yards to go with a 43-yarder in the first quarter.
Yet, it was also an uneven performance at times for the Ravens on both sides of the ball.
Jackson was just 14 of 24 passing for 171 yards with a touchdown and for the second straight game threw an interception, this time while rolling right and throwing back across his body in the middle of the field. But he also ripped off 97 yards on 12 carries.
Lawrence, meanwhile, finished 25-for-43 for 264 yards with one touchdown.
Though the victory wrapped up a spot in the postseason for a second straight year and the fifth time in the past six, it was also a costly one.
Rookie running back Keaton Mitchell suffered an ugly knee injury, going down at the end of a 13-yard run early in the fourth quarter. His left leg buckled as he was tripped up from behind and he was carried to the blue medical tent on the sideline before being carted off the field.
Mitchell finished with 73 yards on nine carries as well as two catches for 15 yards before giving a thumbs-up as he exited the field, but his loss would be a blow to a Ravens backfield that already lost J.K. Dobbins for the season in Week 1.
Despite Mitchell’s injury, Baltimore ran for 251 yards and surpassed 100 for the 30th straight game.