THE BALTIMORE RAVENS suffered an especially painful 24-22 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as quarterback Lamar Jackson departed in the first half with a right ankle injury.
Jackson hobbled off the field in the second quarter after he was tackled from behind by Browns rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He was checked out in the sideline medical tent and then carted to the locker room and ruled out for the rest of the game with what the team later described as a sprain.
Down 24-9 heading into the fourth quarter the Ravens, with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley at the helm, almost pulled off a comeback win.
Baltimore running back Latavius Murray scored a one-yard touchdown with 8:56 remaining and Huntley connected with tight end Mark Andrews for an eight-yard TD to cut the deficit to two points.
The Ravens recovered their onside kick to keep their slim hopes alive, but their final drive ended when Browns cornerback Denzel Ward stopped Rashod Bateman short of a first down.
Huntley completed 27 of 38 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 45 yards but surrendered two fumbles. One of those led to a Browns touchdown, when Cleveland’s Myles Garrett strip-sacked Huntley, grabbed the loose ball and motored 15 yards for a score.
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The defeat was the fourth in six games for the Ravens, who have been hard hit by injuries this year.
In other early games, the New Orleans Saints kept themselves in the NFC Wild Card hunt with a 30-9 victory over the New York Jets.
New Orleans quarterback Taysom Hill was playing with an injured finger on his throwing hand, but the Saints used a strong ground game to end a five-game losing streak.
Alvin Kamara, back from a knee injury ran for 203 yards, including 120 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
Hill added two rushing touchdowns in the second half while the Jets were held without a TD and were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The victory meant that neither the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers nor the Green Bay Packers, both playing later, could clinch a playoff berth on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs offered a reminder of just how dangerous they can be as the post-season approaches, routing the Las Vegas Raiders 48-9.
The Chiefs, who struggled early in the season and were in last place in the AFC West at one point, notched their sixth straight victory and lead the division.
Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes as the Chiefs built a 35-0 first-half lead.
The Chiefs defense, which sparked plenty of doubts earlier this season, forced five Vegas turnovers.
In Houston, the Seattle Seahawks shook off a slow start to beat the Texans 33-13 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns as Seattle put together two straight victories for the first time this season.
Tyler Lockett caught a 55-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, his 142 receiving yards taking his tally for the season to 1,023. Rashaad Penny ran for a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns for Seattle.
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Ravens lose Lamar Jackson in Cleveland defeat, Chiefs rout Raiders
THE BALTIMORE RAVENS suffered an especially painful 24-22 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as quarterback Lamar Jackson departed in the first half with a right ankle injury.
Jackson hobbled off the field in the second quarter after he was tackled from behind by Browns rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He was checked out in the sideline medical tent and then carted to the locker room and ruled out for the rest of the game with what the team later described as a sprain.
Down 24-9 heading into the fourth quarter the Ravens, with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley at the helm, almost pulled off a comeback win.
Baltimore running back Latavius Murray scored a one-yard touchdown with 8:56 remaining and Huntley connected with tight end Mark Andrews for an eight-yard TD to cut the deficit to two points.
The Ravens recovered their onside kick to keep their slim hopes alive, but their final drive ended when Browns cornerback Denzel Ward stopped Rashod Bateman short of a first down.
Huntley completed 27 of 38 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 45 yards but surrendered two fumbles. One of those led to a Browns touchdown, when Cleveland’s Myles Garrett strip-sacked Huntley, grabbed the loose ball and motored 15 yards for a score.
The defeat was the fourth in six games for the Ravens, who have been hard hit by injuries this year.
In other early games, the New Orleans Saints kept themselves in the NFC Wild Card hunt with a 30-9 victory over the New York Jets.
New Orleans quarterback Taysom Hill was playing with an injured finger on his throwing hand, but the Saints used a strong ground game to end a five-game losing streak.
Alvin Kamara, back from a knee injury ran for 203 yards, including 120 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
Hill added two rushing touchdowns in the second half while the Jets were held without a TD and were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The victory meant that neither the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers nor the Green Bay Packers, both playing later, could clinch a playoff berth on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs offered a reminder of just how dangerous they can be as the post-season approaches, routing the Las Vegas Raiders 48-9.
The Chiefs, who struggled early in the season and were in last place in the AFC West at one point, notched their sixth straight victory and lead the division.
Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes as the Chiefs built a 35-0 first-half lead.
The Chiefs defense, which sparked plenty of doubts earlier this season, forced five Vegas turnovers.
In Houston, the Seattle Seahawks shook off a slow start to beat the Texans 33-13 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns as Seattle put together two straight victories for the first time this season.
Tyler Lockett caught a 55-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, his 142 receiving yards taking his tally for the season to 1,023. Rashaad Penny ran for a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns for Seattle.
NFL early games
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