Quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry reflected on a difficult loss after the Baltimore Ravens surrendered a 15-point lead in the final four minutes, ultimately falling 41-40 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night at Orchard Park.
Jackson acknowledged his regret after shoving a Bills fan during a touchdown celebration late in the third quarter. “I seen him slap D-Hop, then he slapped me and he was talking,” Jackson said. “So I just forgot where I was for a little bit. You got to think in those situations. You got security out there, let security handle it. I just let my emotions get the best of me. But hopefully it won’t happen again. I’ll learn from that.” The fan was ejected by stadium security.
Henry accepted responsibility for his crucial fourth-quarter fumble that contributed to Baltimore’s collapse. “I told my teammates after the game, put the loss on me (…) I own it like a man. We got lackadaisical and they made a play (…) If I take care of the ball, I feel like it would be a different situation,” Henry said following his performance with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Despite Henry’s milestone—surpassing Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Jim Brown for sixth-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history with 108—and joining Brown as only the second player with 13 career games of at least 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Baltimore could not maintain its advantage.
The momentum shifted after Buffalo reduced the deficit to 40-32 with under four minutes left when Josh Allen’s tipped pass was caught by Keon Coleman for a touchdown. On Baltimore’s next possession, Ed Oliver forced Henry’s fumble, which was recovered by Terrel Bernard.
Jackson continued supporting his teammate: “I told him to let that go (…) He did enough for us. He scored a 50-yarder one time, popped another one. He was going off, but things happen. Unfortunately it happened at the wrong time. I’m not going to knock him for that. I fumbled in the playoffs.”
Baltimore became the first team to lose after scoring 40 or more points while leading by at least 15 points in the fourth quarter. This marks the seventeenth time in eighteen seasons under head coach John Harbaugh that the Ravens lost after holding at least a ten-point lead in the second half.
Harbaugh commented on moving forward: “We’ve been here before (…) This is how the NFL works. You play tough teams in tough environments. Hopefully you learn from it and keep getting better. You get better throughout the season and become the team you’re going to be. It’s a long journey.”
Henry chose to focus ahead: “This one is definitely going to sting for a while (…) It’s Week 1. We still feel that we should have won, but it’s over now.”
