Lamar Jackson had 395 total yards in the Ravens’ season opener against the Chiefs on Thursday, but needed 10 more to come away with a victory.
Jackson worked wonders with his legs throughout the game, but he finally burned the Chiefs defense with a massive 38-yard pass completion to Rashod Bateman in the final minute of the fourth quarter. That play put the Ravens in a dream situation: up to three shots in the end zone, with only a touchdown needed to tie or even win the game.
The ball reached the end zone three times, but only once did it land in the hands of a Ravens receiver – and it never landed in the hands of a Ravens receiver who had both feet in bounds.
Here’s a look at Jackson’s missed touchdown throws that decided the NFL opener Thursday night.
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Lamar Jackson missed TD passes against Chiefs
The Ravens appeared fortunate to find themselves in position to tie or win the game after trailing throughout the second half, but they eventually got a chance to get some revenge for last season’s AFC Championship loss when they set up the game from 10 yards out with 18 seconds remaining.
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Jackson had a relatively clean pocket on the first play, but he managed to throw a pass to an open Isaiah Likely in the back corner of the end zone. The throw flew too high for Likely, who was well defended by Bryan Cook and fell to the ground so hard that he writhed in pain for more than a minute after the play.
He’s probably injured… pic.twitter.com/udeqyosKnf
— Mr. Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) September 6, 2024
The break gave the Ravens extra time to set up a play, and the scheme they came up with was magnificent. Zay Flowers found himself wide open in the middle of the end zone, but Jackson fumbled, throwing behind the second-year receiver and failing to score a touchdown that would have given Baltimore a chance to win.
Lamar Jackson missed a WIDE OPEN Zay Flowers ?
pic.twitter.com/GKZx7ney1Y— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) September 6, 2024
To make matters worse, depending on how you look at it, Jackson said he hadn’t originally planned to throw the ball to Flowers on that play after the game. He saw Rashod Bateman break free, according to Giana Han of the Baltimore Banner.
Lamar Jackson said the missed pass to Zay Flowers at the end wasn’t originally intended for Flowers. He first saw Rashod Bateman break free.
— Giana Han (@giana_jade) September 6, 2024
The final play of the game wasn’t necessarily an errant pass from Jackson, but the result was the same. Jackson threw to Likely in the back of the end zone, but the tight end had one foot on the line and was ruled offsides after a review. It was a high pass from Jackson, but that’s often what it takes to prevent a turnover.
LAMAR TOO LIKELY???
?: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
? : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/vCRoiX08rO— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024
The raw numbers were impressive for Jackson in Thursday’s loss, but his performance was immediately overshadowed by two huge missed opportunities to potentially eliminate the defending champions. John Harbaugh appeared intent on attempting a two-point conversion if the Ravens scored, as he often chooses to do rather than play in overtime.
Jackson will aim to put the Ravens in the win column against the Raiders in Week 2 before a series of matchups with the Cowboys, Bills and Bengals.
