After unleashing what would be the longest completion of his career, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took a seat Sunday.
Before seeing wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown run under a 49-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of Sunday’s win over the Broncos, Jackson turned to an official in disbelief. Broncos defensive tackle Mike Purcell had knocked him to the grass at Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High, striking him in the lower back just after Jackson had released the pass. There was no flag.
When he heard Ravens fans cheering, “I wasn’t mad about the late hit anymore,” Jackson recalled Sunday. He pumped his fist and turned back to Purcell. “I kept my mouth closed,” he said.
A day later, though, Jackson was happy to see others speaking up for him. On Monday morning, he retweeted a post that said Jackson should start complaining to officials about late hits. He added: “Everybody seen that,” and included an angry-faced emoji.
Jackson retweeted two other messages not long after. The first said NFL officials should “protect Lamar the same way they protect the rest of these QB’s in the league.” The second said that there “has to be some sort of complaint or report that needs to be brought to the NFL’s attention.”
Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he plans to speak with NFL officials about late hits in Sunday’s game, as he does every week with debatable officiating decisions. “There were a couple of them in there that we’ll ask about,” he said.
Harbaugh said Jackson did a “good job” of avoiding contact in the 23-7 win and pointed to him running out of bounds instead of seeking contact in the open field. But he stressed that mobile quarterbacks deserve equal protection. Ravens defensive lineman Justin Madubuike was flagged for unnecessary roughness after a questionable hit on Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the first quarter.
“I think all the quarterbacks should be treated the same,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think any quarterback should be judged any differently in terms of how they’re protected, that’s for sure.”
Jackson, who missed two practices last week with a minor back injury, is in “good shape” and “feels great right now,” Harbaugh said. The Ravens have one more day to recover this week before facing the Indianapolis Colts on “Monday Night Football.”