Everything Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said after beating the Dallas Cowboys

After the Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys, 28-25 on Sunday, quarterback Lamar Jackson met with the media. This is what he said about the win, which improve the Ravens’ record to 1-2. All quotes are courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens media relations staffs.

On his mindset during the team’s final drive:

“Just, we need to get a first down. They were making good plays – the opposing team’s defense – and we were getting short gains here and there, but we were getting positive yards. I believe [we got] four yards [on the] first one, one yard here, two yards here, and it was like, ‘We’ve got to make something happen.’ Coach [Todd Monken] called a good play, [and I] threw it to Zay [Flowers]; Zay made a great catch, and [Dallas] wasted their timeout. The rest is history.”

On telling the guys to finish strong during halftime:

“Yes, we’ve got to finish. I didn’t like how things were going; we were getting off the field. I believe [that] we shouldn’t be putting ‘Tuck’ [Justin Tucker] on the field around that time. We should have been punching the clock in right there. We’re up, 28-6; the game is not over. We’ve been in those situations [for] years in the past – when we go up [to] halftime, come back, and we lose [after] we’re up 35-14 and stuff like that. I believe [that] we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing [from] the first half [and] just keep putting our guys on the [field] and keep the defense guessing. I believe that we’re going to be in these situations.”

On his game-sealing run:

“Yes, it was an RPO [run-pass option]. Zay [Flowers] did what he was supposed to do; he carried out the fake well – I believe – to keep the defense on him, and I just had to make a good read. The whole offensive line did a tremendous job of giving me a lane to get that first down, and we sealed the game.”

On if he knew that a first down would seal the victory after that aforementioned run:

“Yes, no doubt, no doubt. [Dallas] was out of timeouts, and we just had to get that first down. We go through these situations in practice, and for it to come up in a game, we know what we were supposed to do.”

On hearing the Cowboys crowd erupt when WR Zay Flowers was tackled, even though Zay didn’t have the ball:

“Yes, but I heard Flock Nation in the building, too, so I wasn’t really worried about the Cowboys’ fanbase at all. Hats off to them. They did a good job.”

On how important this win is:

“To be honest, every game is a big game for us, because we’re trying to get somewhere. 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. So, the 0-2 start, we didn’t want that to happen. Obviously, it’s the [National] Football League; everyone is good. We can’t look at [any] opponent and think [that] we can just go in there and roll them over like this is high school or something or college, and we’re playing walk-on guys. Everyone is a five-star [player] – I believe – in the NFL. We just go into games knowing [that] we’ve just got to give it our all, because every time a team plays us, we might see something on film, and it might be different when we’re playing them. They’re going to play their heart out against us, like it’s the Super Bowl, so we’ve just got to go out there and do what we’re supposed to do.”

On if he was aware of the recent criticism of G/T Daniel Faalele and the offensive line’s performance:

“Yes, of course. I’ve seen it; I see a lot of things – when [people are] tweeting and stuff – but that’s just social media. At the end of the day, [Daniel Faalele] is getting paid to do what he’s supposed to do, and he busted his behind each and every time. It’s not like he’s trying to mess up. All of us make mistakes out there on that field. But, he came in clutch for us today, and I want the same people who were giving him that doubt to praise him and give him that credit for what he deserves.”

On what it was like for him to watch RB Derrick Henry do his thing today:

“Oh, man, I expect that from [Derrick Henry]. You’ve just got to get him lanes [to] just hold up and just let him do his thing. He’s busting his behind in each and every practice. That’s a guy who doesn’t like to make mistakes, and that shows out there. When he made those runs, he felt like he could have gotten more yards or [that] he probably could have scored, and I’ll be right [there] with him, because I’ll be like, ‘You probably could have scored right there.’ But he showed off. He did what kings do – [he’s] Derrick Henry.”

This story was originally published September 22, 2024 at 8:48 PM.