JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jaguars outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot rushed right past Morgan Moses, only to have quarterback Lamar Jackson duck under his arms, right himself and take another three seconds to scan his options.
It was the perfect time for a Mark Andrews play. But, with Jackson’s favorite target out with an ankle injury, he had to adjust.
Jackson had already spotted tight end Isaiah Likely popping open before Smoot disrupted the play, and Likely was still technically an option — Jackson just had to figure out how to get it to him. He opted for a high-arcing pass, hoping to give his 6-foot-4 teammate a chance to high point the ball.
“I‘m like, ‘Bro, if I try to drive it, it’s going to be an interception,’ and I already threw one, so I was pissed off,” Jackson said. “So I was like, ‘Let’s give Likely a shot.’ I know he can jump a little, so I’m going to give him a shot, and he made a play. A great play.”
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In that moment, Likely was “That guy.” And over the course of the game — as has been the case all season — multiple players were “that guy.”
“We been had those guys,” Jackson said. “[Rashod] Bateman is that guy. We got Odell [Beckham Jr.], he’s that guy. Zay [Flowers], that guy. Nelly [Nelson Agholor], that guy. We got guys who’re gonna step up. They just need an opportunity. That’s all.”
Likely and Bateman, with six targets each (resulting in five and three catches, respectively), got those opportunities in the Ravens’ 23-7, playoff-clinching win Sunday evening. But Beckham (one catch on three targets), Flowers (one catch on two targets) and Agholor (no catches on one target) were quiet just one week after combining for 15 catches against the Rams.
Perhaps that’s the most perplexing thing about the offense as it prepares for its most difficult game of the year, a Christmas night game at San Francisco. The Ravens don’t really have that guy, the one who can truly be counted on to make the biggest plays at the most pressing moments. They’ve handled that by committee.
This is playing out with the running game, as well. Gus Edwards was barely a factor against the Rams but led the running backs with 16 carries against the Jaguars. He gained only 58 yards, but he picked up just enough at some of the most important moments, including third-and-shorts and red-zone carries (like his 1-yard score to open the fourth quarter that put the Ravens up 10). Additionally, Justice Hill, who has mostly been used as a blocker lately, contributed five carries for 23 yards.
The Ravens will need both players to help, because they found out after the game that rookie Keaton Mitchell — whose game-breaking speed allowed him to gain 73 yards on nine carries — is out for the season and will be replaced by Melvin Gordon.
None of the Ravens’ skill players, except maybe Flowers, has had consistent enough performances to merit a double team or extra focus from the defense. But the offense under coordinator Todd Monken is built to be diverse; in some ways, it’s supposed to operate like this.
“Sometimes a team might play different looks, give different looks, to where one guy might not be on his game, but that’s where other guys step up and play big roles,” center Tyler Linderbaum said. “And to have many weapons like that, it definitely makes it harder to stop.”
It’s exactly what coach John Harbaugh was hoping for when he received the bad news that Andrews would miss significant time. He said it would take everyone, more than just the tight ends, to fill the gap. He expressed confidence in the team’s young tight ends, and that has been justified. No player has stepped up as consistently as Likely in recent games.
The second-year tight end followed a solid four catches for 40 yards against the Chargers with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. He finished Sunday with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
The fourth-round pick in 2022 is also growing bold as his role expands and has twice taken the initiative to wave his quarterback down, asking for the ball in pressure situations.
“But the golden rule is, if you wave your hand trying to get the quarterback’s attention, you have to come down with the ball,” Likely said.
He came down with both, one for a 54-yard touchdown and the other a 16-yard touchdown.
He hopes that will build Jackson’s confidence in him — and ease the QB’s considerable load by making him feel like not every throw has to be pinpoint for a catch to be made — especially as the Ravens make their way down the stretch without Andrews.