Lamar Jackson faced a difficult first half on Sunday as he threw an interception and lost a fumble, directly contributing to the Buffalo Bills taking the lead in their critical matchup. These early mistakes marked a rough start for the former MVP, with Buffalo capitalizing on both turnovers to establish momentum and put themselves ahead.
The Bills wasted no time exploiting Jackson’s early misfortunes. The first turnover occurred when Jackson was pressured by Bills‘ safety Damar Hamlin, who sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble. Von Miller, the Super Bowl MVP, was in the right place at the right time to recover the ball and sprint 39 yards to the Ravens‘ 24-yard line, giving the Bills great field position.
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Turnovers lead to touchdown
Despite a phantom holding call on Dion Dawkins that negated the first turnover’s potential, the Bills capitalized on their second chance. Four plays later, Josh Allen powered through for a 1-yard touchdown run, giving Buffalo its first lead of the game at 14-7. The drive featured key contributions from Ty Johnson, who gained 3 yards on the ground, and James Cook, who had a 7-yard run to set up Allen’s score.
Jackson’s second turnover came courtesy of a Taylor Rapp interception, further emphasizing the struggles of the Ravens‘ offense in the opening half. Jackson’s uncharacteristic mistakes with the ball seemed to plague his performance, as he couldn’t get into a rhythm.
Despite the setbacks, the Ravens hadn’t lost the turnover battle all season before this game, but Sunday’s first half highlighted how critical turnovers can be to the outcome of a game.