Lamar not worried Ravens’ drops will continue

Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2023, 01:27 PM ET
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LONDON — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson gave his receivers a vote of confidence Wednesday after they combined for the worst pass-catching performance in the NFL this season.

In Sunday’s 17-10 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens dropped five passes, which were the most by any team in a single game this year.

“I believe our guys are locked in right now,” Jackson said after Wednesday’s practice at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground. “They are going to be better. So will I.”

On Sunday, Zay Flowers had two drops and Mark Andrews, Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman had one apiece. Baltimore’s five drops were the most in an NFL game since Week 13 of last season and the most by a Ravens team since 2021.

Jackson said he hasn’t spoken to his wide receivers about not holding on to the ball.

“Self-explanatory,” he said. “I don’t need to say anything. Those guys feel how I feel. They want to make a play.”

Jackson pointed out this hadn’t been a major problem previously. The Ravens had three drops in their first four games.

Coach John Harbaugh also did not express concern about the drops being an ongoing issue.

“Our guys are going to catch those balls 99 out of 100 times,” Harbaugh said. “So I think we got a lot of catches in front of us, if that’s the case.”

The biggest drop Sunday was Bateman letting a pass bounce off his hands in the end zone, which has been an issue for Baltimore. Since 2020, the Ravens’ seven drops in the end zone are tied for the third most in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“[Dropped passes] were a concern on Sunday. I mean, that was a big part of the game,” Harbaugh said. “They don’t need a concern going forward because we need to take care of business in that area. That’s what receivers do. They catch the ball.”

Eliminating mistakes has been a theme since Sunday, when many Ravens players said they felt they gave away the game to the rival Steelers.

Asked what his message was to his team, Harbaugh said, “We had a 45-minute team meeting [Wednesday], so that was the message.” He added the message was “what we’re capable of doing and becoming and what we need to do to get there. It’s a fine line between good and great and breaking bad.”