Lamar Jackson Delivers in the Clutch As Ravens Hold on in Dallas

Finishing was a theme this week for the Ravens. They didn’t deliver the knockout blow they wanted, but they technically got it done. Baltimore’s other focus was locking in, eliminating the mistakes. They didn’t quite check that off either with 13 penalties for 105 yards.

The Ravens had extra meetings this week. Derrick Henry spent extra time after practice going over the run plays with the offensive line. Multiple players said they had some of their best practices of the summer because they “locked in” more – less joking around.

They all knew the stakes sitting at 0-2 with a daunting schedule still ahead. They had to beat the Cowboys.

“To be honest, every game is a big game for us, because we’re trying to get somewhere,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to win these games to get to the playoffs, man, and win these playoff games to get to the Super Bowl. But it starts with the game that’s in front of us.”

The postgame locker room was a mixture of emotions. They won, and that’s a whole lot better than leaving Dallas with a loss. But they knew it shouldn’t have come down to a couple plays at the end when Jackson came through.

After Henry’s 26-yard touchdown to start the third quarter, the Ravens offense had three more drives. Justin Tucker missed a 46-yard field goal, Flowers whiffed on an onside kick, and they had a three-and-out. Then Jackson finished it.

“There’s no one I would rather be led by than Lamar. When 8 decides he wants to do something, we’re all behind him,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said.

“He’s just reinforcing that our fate is in our hands, especially in games like this when we can make the gap even bigger. He wants us to want it just as much as him. He wanted everyone to make sure he knew this game wasn’t t over.”