Ravens Fall To Bills, Lamar Jackson Injured In AFC Playoff

ORCHARD PARK, NY — The Baltimore Ravens ended their playoff run Saturday night with a loss to the Buffalo Bills, 17-3, in the AFC divisional matchup.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson went into concussion protocol in the second half shortly after he threw a pick-six that Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson returned for a 101-yard touchdown.

The play was tied for the longest interception return in postseason NFL history, equaled only by a 1993 run by Green Bay's George Teague, according to ESPN.

A couple of plays later, Jackson's head bounced off the turf after he was hit by a Bills defender in the end zone. The Ravens were penalized for intentional grounding, after Jackson threw the ball away following a bad snap.

During the fourth quarter, the Ravens reported Jackson was ruled out for the rest of the game, and Tyler Huntley took over as quarterback.

This is the third consecutive year the Ravens have made it to the playoffs and ended shy of going to the Super Bowl.

"It's a tough loss," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the game, giving the Bills credit for what he said was a "very good football game" that was "mistake-free" and capitalized on things like turnovers.

"To get to the championship game, you've got to play two really great games," Harbaugh said. "Things have got to bounce your way. That didn't happen for us today."

The Ravens faced "well documented" obstacles throughout the season, he added. Multiple games were postponed after Thanksgiving due to an outbreak of coronavirus that impacted players, including Jackson.

"What we've been through as a football team, the road we traveled this year, the challenges that we faced ... even today when we weren't at our best, we still fought," Harbaugh said. "I'm very proud of them, and we'll hold our head high walking out of here and into the off season."

The team traveled for the AFC divisional round to Bills Stadium, where New York allowed 6,700 fans to attend as long as they submitted negative COVID-19 test results and adhered to social distancing.

The Ravens join the Los Angeles Rams, who were also knocked out of the postseason Saturday; the Green Bay Packers beat the Rams, 32-18, Saturday afternoon in the NFC divisional playoff.

The NFL playoffs continue Sunday with the Cleveland Browns at the Kansas City Chiefs at 3:05 p.m. and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the New Orleans Saints at 6:40 p.m.

See Also:

• Ravens Beat Titans, Advance In Playoffs After Wild-Card Round
• How To Watch The Bucs Play New Orleans Saints In Playoffs Sunday
• Ravens Fined $250,000 For COVID-19 Violations: NFL Insider