The Baltimore Ravens defense has been forced into heavy attrition because their offense can't sustain drives or score touchdowns. As a result, the Ravens defense was forced to make 78 total tackles in Week 8’s 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Their fatigue may factor into how they prepare for Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten in Week 9.
The Jaguars have propelled themselves to the top of the AFC with sufficient play on both sides of the football, but their secret weapon lines up behind quarterback Trevor Lawrence on offense. Tuten has been nothing less than terrific in 2026, and he torched the Indianapolis Colts for 104 rushing yards this past weekend. The question is: are the Ravens prepared to deal with Tuten on Thursday Night
Football?
The Ravens have the defensive playmakers to compete, but losing time of possession in multiple games has left them fatigued and out of fuel. Even with a few timely forced turnovers this past weekend, too many empty offensive possessions left the defense hanging out to dry. Pre-game speeches and pep talks won’t work versus the Jags, who seem to be an AFC juggernaut, but Ravens head coach Jesse Minter can unleash a pass rush to rattle Lawrence and perhaps force some turnovers. The Ravens defense is bruised, to say the least, and the physicality that will be required for them to win on Amazon Prime Video could be the turning point in the 2026 NFL season.
Ultimately, the Ravens need to limit Tuten to under 100 yards rushing to win this game. It's time for the Ravens to tighten up totally before their rivals run away with the AFC North.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens need to tighten up because Jags’ Bhayshul Tuten breaks tackles
