Why did Ravens WR Sammy Watkins seem to give up on this potential TD?

The Baltimore Ravens began their "Thursday Night Football" game with a Justin Tucker field goal, but it looked like they could have had even more.

Nine plays into their opening drive against the Miami Dolphins, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw a deep ball under pressure to wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who was streaking into the end zone. As he neared the back of the end zone, Watkins basically stopped running.

And then a ball, which looked quite catchable, landed right in front of him (video above).

Replay didn't do Watkins many favors. It really looked like he just gave up on the pass, or at the very least didn't know it was landing.

There could be any number of reasons for the missed connections. Maybe Watkins lost the ball in the sun, maybe he thought he was out of bounds, maybe he was afraid of running into the goal post at the back of the end zone.

Whatever the cause, the incomplete pass pushed the Ravens to fourth down, leading to a 46-yard field goal from Tucker. The play also presaged an ugly night for the Ravens, who eventually lost in a 22-10 upset.