The Baltimore Ravens return to M&T Bank Stadium on short rest as they get set to battle against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Baltimore enters Thursday night amidst a critical three-game slide, dropping to 4–4 on the season following a 36–10 road loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Jaguars come into Thursday sitting at 5-2 as they dismantled Indianapolis last Sunday by a final of 42-7. The Ravens will turn to undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano as he will get his first career NFL start, after playing in his first career game last Sunday, coming in for an injured Tyler Huntley. Fagnano and the Ravens have a lot riding on Thursday night and a potential win could go a long way in how this season will eventually turn out. Newly signed quarterbacks Austin Reed, who was with the Ravens this preseason, and Kedon Slovis will backup Fagnano.
The Ravens will be without their top two quarterbacks as Lamar Jackson gets set to have potentially season ending thumb surgery, while backup Tyler Huntley (turf toe) has been placed on season ending injured reserve. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) has also been ruled out for the third straight week. Cornerback Nate Wiggins (stinger/illness) did not practice on Wednesday and is listed as questionable. While running back Adam Randall (neck) is also listed as questionable as he looks to be activated off of injured reserve.
As for the Jaguars they come into Thursday fairly healthy as running back Bhayshul Tuten (ankle/foot) and defensive end Travon Walker (rib) are the only two Jaguars with injury designations as both are listed as questionable.
Joe Fagnano
The undrafted rookie out of UConn has suddenly been thrust into the spotlight for his first career NFL start following injuries to both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. After stepping in for emergency relief in Buffalo last week, Fagnano will be asked to helping keep a Ravens team from going completely under water.
Fagnano stood out in the preseason and his performance over the summer is why he was kept on the 53-man roster as the third quarterback. With Jacksonville expected to crowd the box to stop Derrick Henry, Fagnano will have plenty of opportunity to replicate what we see in the preseason as he looks to help this Ravens offense score more than 13 points for the first time in three weeks.
Jourdan Lewis
Jacksonville’s veteran cornerback has provided a steady, physical presence in the secondary, already recording two interceptions on the season. Operating primarily out of the slot and underneath coverage, Lewis’s ability to be strong in run support, and a willing tackler having amassed 21 total tackles thus far, has made him a very key piece on this Jaguars defense.
Lewis along with the entire Jaguars secondary will look to make Fagnano’s first NFL start a long one as they look to take advantage of the young quarterbacks inexperience. Lewis will also look to replicate what the Bills did last week and limit Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers to no catches and no yards.
Prediction
The Ravens are in desperation mode at this point in the season as they sit at 4-4 with both their starting and backup quarterback out. It could be a good thing for the Ravens as they feel like they have had very little urgency over this three game losing streak. A new starter in Joe Fagnano making his first NFL start will have a tough task in trying to keep the Ravens season alive while taking on one of the AFC’s best teams in the Jacksonville Jaguars on a short week.
If this was a normal week and Fagnano could have an entire week of practice at the starter, I would feel more confident in his ability, and the ability for this team to make it competitive. However with such short week having to go from Sunday to Thursday the offense is likely to be more simple, and Doyle will try not to put Fagnano in a lot of situations where the ball will be in harms way. But with that being said leaning on the run game will still be challenging as the Jaguars currently rank first in rush defense allowing just 77 rushing yards per game. With the Jaguars ability to stop the rush along with their offenses ability to score a lot of points in a fairly balances attack, it could be another long game for the Ravens and their fans. Ravens lose for the fourth straight week, this time by a final of 34-17 and fall to 5-4.
Line: Jacksonville -10
Over/Under: 39.5
All-Time Record: Jacksonville leads series 13-11
