He’s understanding, but Lamar Jackson must feel some frustration after seeing his wide receivers let so many catchable balls hit the ground for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Those drops were a decisive factor in Jackson and Co. slipping to a shock 29-24 defeat to the Cleveland Browns.
Jackson saw both Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor fluff their lines on key third-down plays. Reporters asked the two-time NFL MVP if his wideouts told him there was a problem with the sun at Huntington Bank Field.
Apparent issues with the weather became a talking point after Bateman failed to reel in a deep pass late in the game. Jackson had thrown the ball from the shadow of the sideline, but Bateman couldn’t locate it in the sun-soaked deep middle.
As Ravens Vault co-host Sarah Ellison noted, Jackson revealed his receivers hadn’t let him know if they were having trouble with their vision: “No, they didn’t tell me that, but if they did, I would believe because the sun was glaring today.”
Lamar Jackson was asked if his receivers said anything about losing balls in the sun: “No, they didn’t tell me that, but if they did, I would believe because the sun was glaring today.”
That’s a team-first response from Jackson and a credit to his leadership, but there’s no doubt his supporting cast left some big plays on the field in Cleveland
Lamar Jackson Let Down by Receivers
Jackson did all he could to beat the Browns. He consistently eluded pressure, scrambled to move the pocket and extended plays to give his receivers more time to get open.
All of those things should have led to a spirit-breaking play against the Browns’ defense with less than 10 minutes remaining. Jackson again broke contain and hauled off an accurate vertical strike on 3rd-and-14 from his own 15-yard line.