The Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens kick off Week 9 on Thursday Night Football at M&T Bank Stadium, with an 8:15 p.m. ET start and coverage on Amazon Prime Video.
Jacksonville (5-2) holds a three-game lead in the AFC South behind Trevor Lawrence, who tops the league with a 112.6 passer rating and an 8.6% touchdown rate. The Jaguars also posted a season-high 183 rushing yards in their first game after the bye, with Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. splitting carries.
Baltimore (4-4) is in a much more precarious spot at quarterback. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson was placed on injured reserve this week with a thumb injury, and backup Tyler Huntley reportedly suffered a season-ending toe injury last week. That leaves undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano — who is not fully healthy himself — as the Ravens’ starter for Thursday night. Baltimore has reportedly agreed to acquire veteran Jacoby Brissett from Arizona; Brissett lost his starting job there to Gardner Minshew and will join the Ravens once the trade is finalized, but he won’t be available for this game.
Game notes and live updates:
– A brief broadcast delay occurred after a drone was spotted in the stadium.
– The Jaguars returned the opening kickoff to the 23 and then struck quickly when Trevor Lawrence connected on a big play to Nate Boerkircher (a 52-yard gain after a Marlon Humphrey coverage lapse). Two plays later a 16-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers set Jacksonville up at the 1. After a stuffed run on third-and-goal, Chris Rodriguez Jr. punched in the touchdown. Earlier in the possession Lawrence had missed a wide-open short pass to Boerkircher on 1st-and-goal.
– Joe Fagnano is making his first career start; background notes: he’s a 25-year-old undrafted free agent from Williamsport, Pa., pronounced “Fin-YAWN-Oh,” and he took an unconventional college path in New England.
– Betting lines listed: Jaguars -9.5 point spread, moneyline Jaguars -550 / Ravens +410, total 39.5.
– Trevor Lawrence’s season totals mentioned in previews: about 1,700 yards with 17 TDs and 4 interceptions; he has exceeded certain passing benchmarks in five of seven games. Analysts noted Baltimore’s pass defense has struggled this year, giving up big aerial outings in losses to Cincinnati and Buffalo.
– Bhayshul Tuten, who had been questionable, was confirmed active after a pregame warmup; he’s averaging roughly 96 scrimmage yards per game with six total touchdowns and had 159 scrimmage yards in last week’s win over the Colts.
– Teams announced inactives before kickoff (lists were posted by the news feed).
Fan Take: This game matters because it pits a rising Jaguars team and elite young quarterback against a Ravens roster suddenly hamstrung at the most important position — a real-time test of roster depth and front-office urgency. If Baltimore’s backup options can’t keep them competitive, we could see more aggressive midseason quarterback moves around the league and a clearer divide between contender depth charts and teams vulnerable to injury.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
