No Lamar Jackson. No Snoop Huntley.
We didn’t know what to expect back from the Ravens. But we knew there was a chance that it could get ugly Thursday night for Baltimore, which was down to its third-string quarterback in undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano.
And it turned out to be exactly that. It was unwatchable.
The Jaguars whooped the Ravens 33-10 at M&T Bank Stadium in a game that was never close. Jacksonville (6-2) has recorded back-to-back wins by 20-plus points.
Baltimore (4-5) has now lost five straight games.
Here are my takeaways:
1.
The Jaguars Have At Least One Reason To Be Worried About Their Offense
The Jaguars seemed to be playing with fire with the play clock on Thursday night, at least in the first half. On more than a few occasions, it went all the way down to one before they got the snap off. It appeared to hit zero at least a couple of times on the broadcast, though Jacksonville was never penalized for a delay of game.
Slow pre-snap development hasn’t been uncommon for the Jaguars this season. Entering this week, they snapped the ball on average with just 7.0 seconds left on the play clock, second-slowest in the NFL, and had used no-huddle just 3.4% of the time, the 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 blowout win over the Ravens. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Jacksonville runs an efficient offense, to be clear. It entered Week 9 ranked fifth in scoring and 10th in yardage. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who’s been playing at a high level since midway through last season, is in complete command at the line of scrimmage. The Jags aren’t a heavily penalized team overall, either (entered Thursday with 55 penalties called against them, 14th-fewest in the league, according to NFLpenalties.com).
If communication isn’t clean, though, consistently taking the play clock all the way down to the wire could become an issue late in the season in loud road environments, raising the chances for procedural penalties.
It’s not an issue now for the Jags, but it’s something to be wary of moving forward.
2.
The Ravens Will Be Thrilled 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 obvious how much Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle had to simplify and change the offense for Fagnano, who’s significantly less mobile than Jackson and Huntley.
Fagnano was kept to half-field reads. Even before the rain started to pour down in Baltimore, making throwing the ball difficult, he didn’t (or couldn’t) push the ball much downfield — he attempted just one pass beyond six yards in the first half. He threw two interceptions deep in Baltimore’s own territory in the second half. The Ravens’ offense looked extremely limited … and bad.
Jacoby Brissett, whose trade to Baltimore from the Arizona Cardinals is still to be finalized, doesn’t project to be a game changer who can elevate the Ravens. But he’d give the team competence under center, veteran experience and a passer who can push the ball downfield. And with the weapons the Ravens have on offense, that could be enough to keep the team’s fading playing hopes alive.
3.
Jacksonville Might Be The Most Dangerous Team In The AFC
This isn’t because of beating up on a Jackson-less Ravens team, but the Jaguars have now won six of their eight games and have a relatively easy second half of the season.
Six of Jacksonville’s nine games are against teams that are currently below .500, including its last four games of the season. Currently the No. 4 seed in the AFC, the Jags are in a great position to secure the No. 1 overall seed and the lone first-round bye.
And beyond the 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 rate. They have a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback and a top-five scoring offense around him. They’re well coached.
The Jags don’t get a ton of attention because of the market they’re in, but they are legit and should be on the shortlist 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 the New York Giants (4-2-1), before returning home for a rematch with the Titans on Nov. 29.
With Jacoby Brissett entering the fold at quarterback, the Ravens have a winnable stretch of games before their Week 13 bye: vs. 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).
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