Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson was disappointed with his own turnover issues on Sunday night.

Jackson discussed his frustrations with a lack of ball security when speaking to reporters following a 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs.

"Just hold onto the f--king ball," Jackson said. "I'm sorry for my language, but this s--t is annoying. I'm tired of this s--t."

The 28-year-old finished 18-of-25 for 254 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception.

Jackson revealed that he knew what coverage the Bills were in during the play he was picked off, but didn't look off the safety and called it a "BS interception" (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic).

"l protect the ball and we're not having these conversations," he added, per Zrebiec.

He also rushed for 39 yards on six attempts, losing a fumble in the second quarter.

Jackson has already established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, with four Pro Bowl nods and two MVP awards under his belt. He continued to perform at a high level throughout his 2024 campaign, throwing for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns compared to four interceptions.

He also rushed for 915 yards and four more scores.

The playoffs have given Jackson trouble, as he now owns a 3-5 record in eight postseason starts. He's also scored just 13 touchdowns while committing 11 turnovers throughout his playoff career.

After making the AFC Championship Game during their 2023 season, Jackson and the Ravens were eliminated in the divisional round for the third time since he was drafted by the team in 2018.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh came to the defense of tight end Mark Andrews following his costly drop during the team's 27-25 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

"There's nobody that has more heart, cares more, and fights more than Mark," Harbaugh told reporters after the game. "We wouldn't be here without Mark Andrews."

"Mark will handle it fantastically like he always does because he's a high-character person, he's a tough person and he's a good person," he added.

With the Ravens trailing by eight points late in the fourth quarter, they drove down the field before Lamar Jackson found tight end Isaiah Likely in the end zone.

Jackson targeted Andrews on the ensuing two-point conversion, but the 29-year-old couldn't secure the catch.

The Ravens were unable to recover an onside kick attempt, leading to a victory for Buffalo.

Andrews finished the game with a team-high five receptions for 61 yards, but he also lost a fumble inside Bills territory with Baltimore attempting to score a go-ahead touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter.

The former third-round pick has spent all seven years of his career with the Ravens, earning three Pro Bowl nods.

Andrews struggled to open the 2024 season, catching six passes for 65 yards through the first four weeks of the year. He gradually found his stride, hauling in 49 receptions for 608 yards and 11 touchdowns over his next 13 appearances.

His 11 scores were the most among all tight ends during the regular season.

Andrews had a couple of costly mistakes during the Ravens' divisional-round loss on Sunday, but Harbaugh was adamant that the team wouldn't be in the position to tie the game without his efforts throughout the year.

The Baltimore Ravens' 2024-25 season came to a heartbreaking end, as they were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens suffered a 27-25 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.

Baltimore trailed by eight points with just more than three minutes remaining, driving down the field and scoring a touchdown after Jackson found tight end Isaiah Likely in the end zone. A two-point conversion failed after Mark Andrews dropped a pass that would have tied the game, though.

Fans were shocked by the drop from the three-time Pro Bowl tight end.

As for Jackson, he finished 18-of-25 for 254 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception. He also rushed for 39 yards on six attempts.

The Ravens jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage, but the Bills responded with a touchdown of their own before a fumble by Jackson helped Buffalo take a 14-7 lead.

Baltimore faced a 21-10 halftime deficit, but head coach John Harbaugh's team trailed by only two points entering the fourth quarter. With the Ravens attempting to score a go-ahead touchdown with just under nine minutes left in regulation, Andrews fumbled the ball.

The Ravens amassed 416 yards of offense and averaged 7.3 yards per play, but several costly turnovers prevented them from getting on the board more often.

Baltimore also failed to generate turnovers on defense, as Buffalo took care of the ball and didn't trail after the first quarter. Josh Allen finished 16-of-22 for 127 yards, recording two touchdowns on the ground.

The Ravens have made the playoffs in five of the six years since Jackson took over as their full-time starter ahead of the 2019 season, but they're still searching for their first Super Bowl appearance during that span.

The Baltimore Ravens are "hopeful" that wide receiver Zay Flowers, who has been out of the lineup after suffering a right knee sprain on Jan. 4 against the Cleveland Browns, would be able to return for the AFC Championship Game should the team take down the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in its Divisional Round matchup.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided the latest news.

"My understanding though, had a really positive workout on Friday," Rapoport said.

"And I'm told, the team is hopeful, hopeful that he'll be able to get out there next week if the Ravens advance. Expect him to get at least one medical opinion additionally from what he has now, but things are looking up for Zay Flowers for next week."

In his second NFL season, Flowers caught 74 passes for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns, good enough for his first-ever Pro Bowl honor.

Flowers suffered the injury during a 12-yard catch-and-run in a 35-10 home win over Cleveland. Per Ravens editorial director Ryan Mink, "Flowers' knee was hit hard by Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate" as he went to the turf.

The ex-Boston College star didn't practice leading to the Ravens' 28-14 home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round last Saturday and was ruled out. He didn't practice heading into the team's matchup versus the Buffalo Bills.

Flowers was listed as doubtful this time, and head coach John Harbaugh even told reporters Friday that "he'll have a chance" to play.

It doesn't appear that will be the case, with Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network offering this report.

But he'll certainly have a greater chance of playing if Baltimore is victorious and earns an AFC Championship Game rematch with Kansas City. In the meantime, the Ravens will turn to Rashod Bateman as the team's de-facto No. 1 wideout, and he'll be flanked by a wideout group that includes Tylan Wallace, Nelson Agholor, Steven Sims, Anthony Miller and Devontez Walker.

There's no doubt where Baltimore Ravens legend Ed Reed stands in the NFL MVP debate this season.

During an interview with TMZ Sports (1:15 mark), he said there is "no question about it" that Lamar Jackson deserves the MVP over Josh Allen ahead of Sunday's playoff showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.

"Josh had a great year, no doubt," Reed said. "But he hasn't had Lamar's year. He's had an MVP year, but he hasn't had Lamar's year."

He also compared the situation to an ongoing race and added, "Only thing that brings [Allen] up is if someone trips Lamar. And nobody's tripped Lamar."

The MVP race serves as a backdrop to Sunday's Divisional Round matchup between the quarterbacks' respective teams. Jackson helped lead the Ravens to a 35-10 victory over Allen's Bills in the regular season, although Sunday's game is in Buffalo against an AFC East team with momentum after a Wild Card Round win over the Denver Broncos.

Reed certainly understands what it takes to deliver on such a stage as a Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer, and he hyped up Sunday's contest by calling it "the Super Bowl in itself."

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs might have something to say about that as they await the winner in the AFC Championship Game, but Sunday belongs to the two MVP candidates.

From a statistical perspective, Jackson has the edge.

He completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 915 yards and four scores on the ground as a runner. As for Allen, he completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and six picks to go with 531 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

Jackson already has two MVPs on his resume, including last season's, and it seems like he is on track to win a third.

Reed certainly thinks so.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh believes there is "a chance" wide receiver Zay Flowers will play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills despite missing two weeks of practice with a knee injury.

The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec said Flowers "appeared to have" worked out Friday, but Harbaugh confirmed he didn't participate in practice.

Harbaugh said Monday that Flowers could play Sunday even if he doesn't practice this week, per Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Banner.

The Ravens shared footage of Flowers working out indoors Friday. The special teams united also practiced inside, while the rest of the team practiced outdoors, per NFL.com's Ryan Mink.

Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken previously said Thursday that Flowers would "hopefully" be able to play against the Bills.

Flowers last played on Jan. 4 before suffering his knee injury during the Ravens' regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Flowers was absent for the Ravens' Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Isaiah Likely and Justice Hill caught touchdown passes, while Baltimore leaned on Derrick Henry and their run game, to advance to the divisional round with a 28-14 win.

Last Sunday's win marked the first game Flowers had missed due to injury since entering the league in 2023.

He led the Ravens with 74 catches on 116 targets this season, recording 1,059 receiving yards and four touchdowns prior to his injury.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier Friday was that Flowers "had an outside chance" of playing this weekend, but his weeklong absence from practice meant "it was looking like he's going to miss this game."

The Ravens racked up 271 rushing yards, the team's third-highest single-game total of the season, during a Week 4 win over the Bills.

The Bills defense will already be preparing for Henry and Lamar Jackson to drive the team's run game in their matchup. It looks like the Ravens want to make sure their opponents are forced to prepare for the possibility of Jackson's top target returning as well.

Deonte Harty, who is recovering from a knee injury and has not played since Week 6, was listed as a full participant in practice Friday. He could help the Ravens return punts if he is activated from IR ahead of Sunday's game.

Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett fulfilled his promise to Baltimore Ravens rookie offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten.

Rosengarten went viral earlier this month when he was seen telling Garrett during the regular-season finale between the AFC North Rivals, "I know I'm a nobody but, if I could get that jersey after?" Garrett responded, "Hey, you're in the league. Y'all winning games. Y'all looking great. You ain't never a nobody. I got you."

On Thursday, Rosengarten told reporters that he received Garrett's signed jersey with a little help from Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson:

Garrett's response to Rosengarten was an endearing moment that showcased the brotherhood in the NFL. Despite being rivals, he still took the time to encourage the first-year player.

Rosengarten maintained his modest nature, as he joked that he's still waiting on a jersey from fellow rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and "can't even" get one from his former Washington teammate.

Rosengarten and the Ravens will be headlining the NFL playoffs this weekend when they take on the Buffalo Bills in a Division Round matchup on Sunday evening.

Ahead of their AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken reportedly has a couple of head coaching interviews lined up.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Monken is scheduled to interview for the Jacksonville Jaguars' vacancy on Thursday, followed by the Chicago Bears' head coaching position on Friday.

Monken, 58, has been the Ravens' OC since 2023 when he was hired away from the University of Georgia to replace Greg Roman.

Following a lengthy career as an assistant coach at the collegiate and NFL levels, Monken served as the head coach at Southern Mississippi, going 13-25 over three seasons, including a 9-5 mark in his final year at the school.

Monken left to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator in 2016, which is a role he remained in until 2018. He then had stints as the OC of the Cleveland Browns and at the University of Georgia, helping lead the Bulldogs' offense to back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022.

After leaving Georgia for the Ravens' offensive coordinator job, Monken hit the ground running, as Baltimore went 13-4 last season and ranked sixth in the NFL in total offense, fourth in scoring and first in rushing.

Also, quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second career NFL MVP Award by virtue of completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 821 yards and five scores.

Jackson and the Baltimore offense have been even better this season, as the Ravens ranked first in total offense, third in scoring first in rushing once again.

The dynamic Jackson had the best passing season of his career as well, completing 66.7 percent of his attempts for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions to go along with 915 yards and four scores on the ground.

Given that he was named a First Team All-Pro over Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Jackson is on the odds-on favorite to be named NFL MVP again.

Monken has played a big role in Jackson's success, so it comes as little surprise that teams are showing interest in him as a head coach.

Both the Jaguars and Bears offer potentially intriguing situations since each team has a talented quarterback for Monken to work with.

The Jags went a disappointing 4-13 this season and have made the playoffs only once in the past seven seasons, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence missing seven games due to injury played a role in their struggles.

Lawrence seemingly had Jacksonville on the upswing when he led the team to an AFC South title and a playoff win. The Jaguars have been able to get back to that level since then, but perhaps Monken would be able to unlock something within the offense.

The Bears are in a similar situation, as they went 5-12 this season and have not reached the playoffs since 2020 and haven't won a playoff game since 2010.

Chicago used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on quarterback Caleb Williams, and while it didn't lead to many wins during his rookie season, he had some impressive moments with over 4.000 total yards, 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

The Bears have plenty of offensive talent, and while neither head coach Matt Eberflus nor interim head coach Thomas Brown were able to get the most out of it, Monken may be the right guy to do so.