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Monday 23 deceMber 2019
Ravens win 11th straight, clinch top seed in AFC playoffs

CLEVELAND (AP) — The to, there's no one single
road to the Super Bowl in thing to blame. It's just over-
the AFC goes through Balti- all, we all have to bring it
more, where its MVP candi- more and more every day
date will be waiting. to meet the expectations
Lamar Jackson threw three we set for ourselves."
touchdown passes — two Outplayed and in their own
to tight end Mark Andrews way for most of the first half,
late in the first half — and the Ravens scored two
rushed for 103 yards as touchdowns in the final two
the Ravens won their 11th minutes to take a 14-6 lead
straight game, 31-15 over at the break.
the Cleveland Browns on Jackson connected on a
Sunday to lock up the con- 39-yard TD pass to Andrews
ference's top seed and with 1:18 for Baltimore's first
home-field advantage score, and then hooked up
throughout the playoffs. with his tight end again on
"It feels good," Ravens a sensational play the elec-
coach John Harbaugh trifying QB can add to his
said. "The players deserve MVP candidacy.
a tremendous amount of Jackson stayed alive in the
credit for it. It's hard to win pocket long enough to
any game in the NFL. When buy time and fired an off-
you put together this kind Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) avoids a tackle by Cleveland Browns lineback- balance pass to the back
of season, it's quite an ac- er Sione Takitaki (44) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in of the end zone, where An-
Cleveland.
complishment." Associated Press drews made a terrific leap-
The Ravens (13-2) shook ing catch.
off a sluggish start and arm and legs. Jackson fin- ter. Ingram immediately sideline to be evaluated Baltimore had been unable
avenged their last loss, ished with 238 yards passing grabbed his lower left leg before limping to the locker to do anything on its first
a 40-25 to the Browns on and went over 100 yards for and collapsed when he room. four possessions and the
Sept. 29. the fifth time this season. tried to stand. Harbaugh said Ingram did Browns appeared on their
But Baltimore looks nothing The Ravens did suffer an Ingram, who went over not suffer any structural way to a surprising half-
like the team it was three injury that could hurt the 1,000 yards rushing in damage, but he'll undergo time lead. However, Kitch-
months ago as the mar- playoff hopes as run- the second quarter and more testing Monday. ens made another head-
velous, multi-dimensional ning back Mark Ingram caught a 12-yard TD pass The Browns (6-9) were of- scratching play call on
Jackson has taken the went down without being from Jackson in the third, ficially eliminated from the third-and-1 when he had
league by storm with his touched in the fourth quar- was able to walk to the postseason, and now first- Mayfield pitch the ball to
year coach Freddie Kitch- Kareem Hunt, who looked
ens may be down to his like he was going to throw
last game. Kitchens has ap- it before being brought
peared overwhelmed at down for an 8-yard loss.
times and the home finale The Ravens hurt themselves
was a microcosm of this dis- with some uncharacteristic
appointing season as the mistakes to set up Cleve-
Browns underperformed land's first touchdown after
and will miss the playoffs for Jackson's fumble near mid-
the 17th straight season. field.
Baker Mayfield threw a Baltimore's defense com-
3-yard TD pass in the fourth mitted two penalties on
quarter to Odell Beckham fourth down to extend the
Jr., whose acquisition by Browns' drive and corner-
the Browns in March sent back Jimmy Smith was
expectations soaring. called for pass interference
In the closing minutes, in the end zone, giving
Beckham flung his helmet Cleveland first-and-goal at
on the sideline in frustration the 1.
and exchanged words with On the next play, May-
Kitchens. field rolled to his right and
Mayfield, who finished 20 hit tight end Demetrius
of 33 for 192 yards with Harris.q
two TDs and a pick, said it's
not all Kitchens' fault that
Cleveland's season soured.
"Any time you have a head
coach and you have a los-
ing record, that's the first
person everybody points
to," he said. "But it goes to
many more things than just
Freddie. We can all be bet-
ter in this process and I think
that's what it comes down