Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins: 'If we’d have had Lamar, we’d have won'

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Baltimore running back J.K. Dobbins spoke candidly after the Ravens' season-ending loss to Cincinnati in Sunday’s wild-card game, saying that he believes they would have defeated the AFC North champion Bengals had quarterback Lamar Jackson been active.

"If we’d have had Lamar, we’d have won too," Dobbins said Sunday evening after the 24-17 loss.

The Ravens took a 10-9 lead headed into halftime, which marked the first home game that the Bengals had trailed going into the half this season since their season opener against Pittsburgh, but things went downhill from there for Baltimore.

The Ravens were facing a third-and-goal at the 1-yard line with the game tied early in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley went for the go-ahead score by attempting to jump over the Cincinnati defense and reach across the goal line, but things didn't go as planned. The ball came loose, resulting in a 98-yard touchdown return by Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard.

Dobbins, who wasn’t on the field during that play, went on to criticize the playcalling, saying that Huntley "should have never been in that situation" and that he believed the outcome would have been different if he was given the ball instead. 

"I didn’t get a single carry. … I believe I would have put it in the end zone, again," Dobbins added. "I’m a guy who feels like I should be on the field all the time. It’s the playoffs. Why am I not out there?"

Dobbins, a second-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2020 NFL Draft, finished the game with 13 carries for 62 yards, adding four receptions for 43 yards and one touchdown.

Huntley threw for 226 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He added 54 rushing yards and lost one fumble.

Jackson, who has been sidelined with an injury since early December, didn't travel with the Ravens for Sunday’s playoff game. He posted a cryptic message on social media Monday that left many football fans scratching their heads.

This post comes days after Jackson gave an update on his knee injury Thursday, providing insight into his PCL strain.

Jackson shared that his "knee remains unstable" and that he "can’t give a 100% of myself to my guys and fans" because of his injury status. "I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery," he concluded.

The 26-year-old former league MVP is set to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 16 if he and the Ravens can’t agree to terms on a new deal. The team can, however, use the franchise tag to retain him for the coming season.

He and the organization failed to agree on an extension before the regular season began in September 2022 after Jackson reportedly refused a $250 million deal with $133 million guaranteed. While the deal offered him more max money than Kyler Murray ($230.5 million, $160 million guaranteed) and Russell Wilson ($245 million, $165 million guaranteed), Jackson allegedly was only interested in a fully guaranteed contract like Deshaun Watson's deal with the Cleveland Browns ($230 million).

Jackson finished the 2022-23 season — the fifth and final year of his rookie deal — having completed 62.3% of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games. He also carried the ball a whopping 112 times, picking up 764 yards and three scores on the ground. He also fumbled four times in that span.

Since his arrival in Baltimore in 2018, Jackson has led the Ravens to four postseason berths in his five-year career.

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