Not Lamar Jackson. Not Snoop Huntley.
We didn’t know what to expect from the Ravens. But we knew there was a chance it could get ugly Thursday night for Baltimore, which sat its third quarterback in undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano.
And it turned out to be just that. It was unwatchable.
The Jaguars defeated the Ravens 33-10 at M&T Bank Stadium in a game that was never close. Jacksonville (6-2) has scored back-to-back wins by 20 points.
Baltimore (4-5) has now lost five straight.
Here are my suggestions:
The Jaguars seemed to be playing with fire with the play clock Thursday night, at least in the first half. On more than a few occasions, it went as far as one before they got the picture. It appeared to be nil at least a few times on the air, though Jacksonville was never penalized for a delay of game.
Slow pre-snap development hasn’t been unusual for the Jaguars this season. Entering this week, they held the ball on average with just 7.0 seconds left on the game clock, second-slowest in the NFL, and had run without the huddle just 3.4% of the time, fourth-lowest, according to Next Gen Stats.
Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski (left) will know his team can play even better than it did in its win against the Ravens. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Jacksonville runs an efficient offense, to be clear. He entered Week 9 ranked fifth in scoring and 10th in scoring. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has played at a high level since the middle of last season, is in complete command at the line of scrimmage. The Jags aren’t a very penalized team in general either (entered Thursday with 55 penalties taken against them, 14th fewest in the league, according to NFLpenalties.com).
If the communication isn’t clear, however, consistently getting the game clock down to the wire can become a problem late in the season in noisy road environments, increasing the chances of procedural penalties.
It’s not a problem right now for the Jags, but it’s something to watch out for moving forward.
2.
The Ravens will be excited to see Jacoby Brissett
With Lamar Jackson and backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley out for the Ravens, Fagnano made his first career start for Baltimore and … looked like an undrafted rookie quarterback.
It was clear how much Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle had to simplify and change the offense for Fagnano, who is significantly less mobile than Jackson and Huntley.
Fagnano was held to half-court reads. Even before the rain started to fall in Baltimore, making it difficult to throw the ball, he didn’t (or couldn’t) push the ball very far down the field — he only attempted one pass beyond six yards in the first half. He threw two interceptions deep in Baltimore territory in the second half. The Ravens offense looked extremely limited … and bad.
Jacoby Brissett, whose trade to Baltimore from the Arizona Cardinals has yet to be finalized, doesn’t project to be a game changer that can elevate the Ravens. But he would give the team competence under center, veteran experience and a pass rusher who can push the ball down the field. And with the weapons the Ravens have on offense, that could be enough to keep the team’s fading playoff hopes alive.
3.
Jacksonville might be the most dangerous team in the AFC
That’s not due to beating a Ravens team without Jackson, but the Jaguars have now won six of their eight games and are having a relatively easy second half of the season.
Six of Jacksonville’s nine games are against teams currently below .500, including the final four games of the season. Currently seed no. 4 in the AFC, the Jags are in a great position to secure the No. 1 overall and the lone first-round bye.
And beyond strength of schedule, the Jaguars are one of the NFL’s most complete teams. They entered Week 9 ranked second in points allowed, first in rushing defense and seventh in pressure rating. They have a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback and a top-five offense around him. They are well trained.
The Jags don’t get a lot of attention because of the market they’re in, but they’re legit and should be on the list of top Super Bowl contenders.
3 ½. What’s next?
The Jaguars’ road trip continues for two more games, at the Tennessee Titans (1-7) and New York Giants (4-2-1), before returning home for a rematch with the Titans on Nov. 29.
With Jacoby Brissett stepping in at quarterback, the Ravens have a winnable stretch of games ahead of their Week 13: against the 1-7 Chargers on Monday night in Week 10, at the 3-4 Carolina Panthers (Nov. 22) and at the 2-5 Houston Texans (Nov. 29).