Tonight’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars once held a lot of promise as a truly great matchup in primetime. Now? Well… let’s just say the shine has worn off Baltimore’s season with quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley both going on Injured Reserve.
Yes, the Ravens lost two quarterbacks to significant injuries in their loss to the Buffalo Bills. Adding insult here, emergency quarterback Joe Fagnano also picked up an injury in relief. Despite that, Fagnano gets his
first official NFL start tonight as Week 9 gets underway with Thursday Night Football.
It’s a massive challenge for Fagnano, who must try to lead a nose-diving Ravens teams to a win against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that seems as well-rounded as any in the league. With time to prep as the team’s QB1, Fagnano (a former Heisman runner-up) should look a little more game ready. There’s scant professional film on him, but what there is shows a quarterback who couldn’t solve the Bills’ defense in Week 8.
Baltimore’s coaching staff will keep their fingers crossed that things go well enough, otherwise the team will be forced to turn to quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The Ravens just made a trade to acquire Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals, and he’s shown promise in past seasons. However, he’s far less familiar with Baltimore’s playbook than Fagnano — someone who had run the scout team up until this past week.
It feels like we’re set for a blowout this evening, but strange things do happen on Thursday nights. Do the Ravens roll out the smart play and run everything on offense through running back Derrick Henry? It’s not a terrible idea, but they don’t seem to have quite the offensive line and blocking Henry enjoyed in prior seasons. Would it be terrible if they better-incorporated Henry in the passing attack? You’d find no argument from me on the matter.
This is a huge challenge for the Ravens against a 5-2 Jaguars team we’ve barely discussed. Jacksonville has an enormous lead in the AFC South, with the 2-5 Houston Texans in second among a mostly moribund division. One of few teams to defeat the Bills at home during the playoffs, there’s little love lost between Bills Mafia and those who cry “Duuuuval.”
That’s right, Rumblers: Tonight you’re Ravens fans. Buffalo stands to benefit from a Jaguars loss, even though the Bills currently have the top spot in the AFC race to the playoffs. With that, here’s your open thread for Week 9 of Thursday Night Football. As always, be kind to one another — and in all things… Go Bills!
