The Baltimore Ravens had a tough time offensively against a spirited Jaguars team in Duvall at first. Missing Mark Andrews, it was up to other members of the Baltimore Ravens to step up and put points up on the board, to will their team to victory. While not an actual rule, many analysts say that a college player needs a “Heisman moment” in order to win the award that singles you out as the best player in college football. If NFL MVP voters have a similar mentality, the play late in the third quarter by the Baltimore Ravens quarterback should more than qualify.
Baltimore Ravens Special Play
It was something that you could watch all day on repeat. Dead to rights, Lamar Jackson threw an improbably completion to Isaiah Likely for a 26 yard catch. Gus Edwards would then go on to run on second and goal for a touchdown, to give the Baltimore Ravens a 10 point lead.
There is no other player that has the lower body strength, balance, and elusiveness to make that play the way that it happened. His touch on the ball, against a well covered receiver showed what makes Jackson special when he is healthy. As the Baltimore Ravens are pushing for the one seed in the AFC, this play really gave a needed offensive boost in energy, as they were able to close out the game from there. Until that point, it really looked like either team could have potentially struggled their way to being added to the week 15 win column.
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What a play from Ravens Lamar Jackson to Isaiah Likely.— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) December 18, 2023
Credit needs to also of course be given to the tight end Likely. Because the ball was thrown into a tight window, into double coverage, Likely not only had to high point the ball, but also ripped it away from contesting hands. His effort on the play allowed for him to safely secure the completion.
Baltimore Ravens Isaiah Likely
The Massachusetts native is no stranger to making big plays on the football field. A product from Coastal Carolina, Likely won all conference awards as a player in the Sun Belt Conference. His senior season, in 2021, saw him amass 912 yards receiving and a conference high 12 receiving touchdowns.
As perhaps a precursor of his big play abilities to come at the professional level, he tied the NCAA record his senior season for longest receiving touchdown. He accomplished this feat off of a 99 yard touchdown reception.
Drafted in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens, had three touchdowns as a rookie. Before the special play, Likely had caught a touchdown reception earlier in the game. Silent up until this part of the season, his latest touchdown before Sunday Night Football was the week prior, against the Los Angeles Rams. With the timeline of a potential return for Mark Andrews remaining unclear, Likely will be likely looking to continue to add to his touch down production to close out the year.
Baltimore Ravens Defense After The Score
The defense had done a good job all night of limiting Trevor Lawrence, and limiting an offense that had been explosive against previous teams earlier in the year. After the score, with the lead, this defense was able to flex their dominance, and keep control of the game.
Even when it looked like the Jaguars might have been starting to gain some momentum, the pressure got to Lawrence, and the secondary did a good job in coverage to secure the win.
Closing the game, Cris Collinsworth said that he thought that the Baltimore Ravens looked like the most dominant team in the AFC, and it’s hard to disagree with that statement.