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Melvin Ingram Dominates As Chargers Hold Off Ravens- Advance To Elite Eight

Chargers advance to the Elite Eight in the NFL playoffs

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BALTIMORE — Chargers pass rusher Melvin Ingram had a breakout game against the Ravens. He was all over the place. Michael Badgley kicked five field goals, and the Los Angeles Chargers contained rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens to carve out a 23-17 victory Sunday in the opening round of the NFL playoffs.The Chargers built a 23-3 lead in the fourth quarter before Jackson threw two touchdown passes to make it close. Given one final chance to complete the comeback, the 21-year-old Jackson looked every bit like the youngest quarterback to start an NFL playoff game when he lost the ball on his third fumble of the game. It was all Chargers most of the day.

Jackson finished 14 for 29 for 194 yards with an interception. He was sacked seven times.

The Chargers (13-4) will next face the second-seeded New England Patriots (11-5) on the road Sunday. The Chargers last won two games during a single postseason in 2007, when the franchise was in San Diego.

Badgley set a franchise record for field goals in a playoff game. He connected from 21, 53, 40, 34 and 47 yards. Across the country, in the early time window, against the best defense in the AFC, the Chargers emerged with a hard fought, ugly as hell, but equally impressive win over the Ravens. To beat the Ravens on Sunday, the Chargers out Ravens’d the Ravens with an incredible defensive effort for three-and-a-half quarters, and then hung on for dear life as Lamar Jackson mounted a late comeback that started as a scare and turned into a nightmare before the Chargers found a way to generate one last stop in utter desperation mode.

In a season defined by historically great quarterback play, a defensive, grind it out, grueling battle played out in Baltimore. Neither offense could move the ball efficiently or find big plays. Chargers rookie kicker Michael Badgley played a starring role with five field goals. Both defenses played out of their minds, but it was the Chargers’ defense that won the day. They carried their team to the win. Put it this way: Philip Rivers threw for only 160 yards and posted a passer rating just above 80, and the Chargers still won. That’s how incredible the Chargers’ defense was for most of Sunday’s game — outside of two drives late in the fourth quarter, which we’ll get to momentarily.

Conversely, that’s how bad the Ravens’ offense was for most of Sunday. The Ravens fumbled three times in their first eight plays. They recovered their first two, but the Chargers pounced on the third one, setting up their offense with prime field position and a chance to put the Ravens in an early hole. But the Chargers couldn’t completely capitalize, bogging down near the goal line and settling for a field goal, which gave them a 3-0 lead. Another field goal, this one from 50-plus yards, provided the Chargers with a 6-0 lead. Another takeaway led to another field goal. They added one more field goal before halftime to take a 12-0 lead into the break. That’s what kind of game it was. Points were hard to come by until the fourth quarter. With the way the Chargers’ defense was playing, the game felt over. At that point, the Ravens’ offense had managed to pick up 83 total yards and three first downs. All hope had appeared to be lost. When the Ravens’ offense took the field, boos rained down. There were calls for Joe Flacco to replace Jackson. The Ravens weren’t just going down without a fight. They were going down in flames.

That’s what made Jackson’s near-comeback so bizarre. It came out of nowhere. But it happened. In the dying minutes, Jackson proceeded to lead two scoring drives that totaled 20 plays, 155 yards, and 14 points. First, Jackson found Michael Crabtree down the sideline for a 31-yard touchdown that turned a three-score deficit into a two-score deficit. More magic happened. On the next series, Jackson created 39 yards out of absolutely nothing. On fourth down, with their season on the line, Jackson found Crabtree for another touchdown. Somehow, someway, it was a six-point gameWith 1:59 left, the Ravens needed to force one more stop to give Jackson a chance to complete the comeback. They got the stop they needed — thanks to a holding penalty that wiped away what would’ve been a game-ending first down. In 45 seconds, Jackson needed to go 66 yards without any timeouts to complete an epic comeback in his first-ever playoff start.

The game ended the same way it began: with a Jackson fumble. This time, the Chargers fell on the ball. They survived. They booked their trip to New England. They won their first playoff game in five years.



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