The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson came up short in Sunday’s Divisional Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills. But while Jackson had his struggles early on in the game, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes that Jackson has nothing to hang his head about.
Trailing by eight points late in the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson did everything in his power to lead the comeback and force overtime, leading the Ravens 88 yards down the field in under two minutes of game time which was capped off by a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely.
Jackson then put the ball right on the money on the two-point conversation attempt to tie the game, but the pass was dropped by perennial Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews.
Jim Nantz & Tony Romo on the CBS call for the Mark Andrews drop.
“THE BALL IS DROPPED! HE HAD THE 2-POINT CONVERSION IN HIS HANDS! ANDREWS DID NOT HOLD ON!” – Nantz
“Oh my goodness.” – Romo
“It’s shocking.” – Nantz
“It’s shocking… That’s caught 999 out of 1,000.” – Romo https://t.co/Hcs8sQaey9 pic.twitter.com/CuWAPZ609w
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 20, 2025
The Bills would then ice the game with one first down after successfully recovering an onside kick attempt.
After the game, Stephen A. Smith made it known that in his eyes, this loss is not on Lamar Jackson, instead holding the typically sure-handed Mark Andrews accountable for several second-half mistakes he made.
“This is not on Lamar Jackson,” wrote Smith. “He did his job. Unfortunately, the great Mark Andrews — who hasn’t lost a fumble since 2019, and doesn’t drop passes — got stripped for a fumble and then dropped the 2-pt conversion that would’ve tied the game with under 2 min left. Tragic! Absolutely Tragic.”
This is not on @Lj_era8. He did his job. Unfortunately, the great Mark Andrews — who hasn’t lost a fumble since 2019, and doesn’t drop passes — got stripped for a fumble and then dropped the 2-pt conversion that would’ve tied the game with under 2 min left. Tragic! Absolutely…
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 20, 2025
This is a stark difference from Smith’s stance on Jackson’s performance in the first half. In a post on X as the Ravens went into the second half facing an 11-point deficit, Smith firmly declared that Jackson was being “outplayed” by Josh Allen.
“Ladies & Gentlemen, right now, right before the half, Josh Allen is outplaying Lamar Jackson,” Smith wrote. “He’s not the one with two turnovers or ill-advised throws. I’ve seen a couple of drops of Lamar’s passes. I get it. But the truth is the truth. What have I been saying: “Lamar, Don’t Let It Be You!”
Ladies & Gentlemen, right now, right before the half, @JoshAllenQB is outplaying @Lj_era8. He’s not the one with two turnovers, or ill-advised throws. I’ve seen a couple of drops of Lamar’s passes. I get it. But the truth is the truth. What have I been saying: “Lamar, Don’t Let…
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 20, 2025
As Smith referenced, Jackson was far from perfect in this game, turning the ball over twice in the first half. In particular, his fumble in the second quarter directly ended up leading to a Bills offensive touchdown.
That being said, he did put on an MVP-esque drive when it mattered most with the game on the line. And as harsh as it is to say about Mark Andrews, just about any other tight end in the NFL would have likely caught the two-point conversation pass thrown to him by Jackson.
Still, Jackson took full accountability for the loss when speaking with reporters after the game, which Smith applauded him for in another post on X.
“Appreciate the accountability on Lamar Jackson’s part,” wrote Smith. “Right thing to do. Kudos to him. But it’s on Andrew’s. So sad. The guy has been great for years — Mr. Reliable. What a horrible time for this to happen to him. But it happened.”
A visibly angry Lamar Jackson is ticked off by the turnovers and drops a few expletives. “It’s f’ing annoying. I’m tired of this shit,” he said. pic.twitter.com/IjeYhJqi9C
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 20, 2025
Regardless of who is to blame for the loss, it will be the Bills and not the Ravens who will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, who they have failed to get past in three of the last four postseason trips.