Lamar Jackson frustrated as Ravens’ season hangs in the balance.

Ravens Frustration Peaks in Thanksgiving Loss

The Ravens’ frustrations erupted on Thanksgiving evening.

Concerns about Baltimore’s offensive line, troubling for most of the season, really came to a head in a disappointing 32-14 defeat at the hands of the Bengals, a team that has struggled defensively.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t hold back his disappointment regarding the performance, which was marred by five turnovers, one of which he contributed to himself.

“Words can’t describe the level of frustration. It’s just…frustrating,” Jackson shared. “Turnovers are crucial in determining the outcome of games. When you give the other team extra chances, it definitely affects how things go.”

At one moment during the game, he seemed genuinely angry after a fumbled throw to Zai Flowers in the fourth quarter—a play that could have resulted in significant yardage had it been executed properly.

For the players, those turnovers were the most demoralizing aspect of the loss.

“That’s just impossible,” Jackson added. “That’s the reason we lost. We actually moved the ball well otherwise. It was just…catch the ball when it’s there. Sorry for the outburst; it’s just really frustrating. I’m tired of this.”

The Ravens’ offensive efforts ended on a somewhat expected note, with Flowers catching a short pass—only for the Bengals’ defense to strip the ball away.

Interestingly, Cincinnati came into this game with a dismal 3-8 record and one of the worst defenses in NFL history.

While turnovers generally aren’t a huge concern during the regular season, they certainly haunted Jackson in last season’s playoffs.

In last year’s AFC divisional round, he and the Ravens lost the turnover battle 3-0 against the Bills, who avoided mistakes and moved on to the conference championship.

This defeat has serious implications for the AFC playoff race; now, the Ravens, with a 6-6 record, find themselves trailing the Steelers in the AFC North. The Bengals, at 4-8, are just two games behind.