OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Joe Fagnano's NFL career is beginning with two games in five days. There's not a lot of time to stop and think.
“Ask my wife. We go through walkthroughs in the living room. She’s reading plays and stuff,” Baltimore's new starting quarterback said. “She probably knows the playbook just as well as us at this point.”
Fagnano was thrust into duty last weekend, when Baltimore had to turn to its No. 3 quarterback because of injuries
to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Now he's set to start Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the Ravens try to prevent their season from careening off the rails.
Jacksonville has a three-game lead in the AFC South and is suddenly a huge favorite despite being on the road on a short week. This is a game that probably seemed daunting for the Jaguars when it first appeared on the schedule, but a lot has changed.
“We do a great job of not underestimating or overestimating the opponent if something’s going to happen — of not panicking, doing our job,” Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said. "I think this is another case for that.”
Jacksonville already has benefited from weakened opponents this season. The Jaguars beat Philadelphia last month in London with the Eagles missing running back Saquon Barkley, leading receiver DeVonta Smith and pass rusher Jonathan Greenard — and days after right tackle Lane Johnson abruptly retired and the team traded center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore.
They thumped Indianapolis last week after the Colts traded two of their best players, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and guard Quenton Nelson.
One question is what type of crowd the Jaguars will be up against this week. It would be understandable if Baltimore fans were a little demoralized, with Jackson expected to go on injured reserve and Huntley possibly headed there as well. Even before Jackson left last weekend's game at Buffalo with a thumb injury, the Ravens had lost five of their last six home games.
“Hopefully the fan base comes out there and gives us an opportunity, gives us a little grace. I think all of us wanted to be better than 4-4 at this point in time in the season,” defensive lineman Calais Campbell said. “We win a couple games, and we’re still in it. Who knows what happens with guys coming back and all that stuff? I’m still holding out hope.”
Jacksonville (5-2) at Baltimore (4-4).
When/where to watch: Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Prime Video.
Latest odds: Jaguars by 10.
Against the spread: Jaguars 4-3; Ravens 2-6.
Last week: Jaguars beat the Colts 42-7; Ravens lost to the Bills 36-10.
Last meeting: Ravens beat the Jaguars 23-7 on Dec. 17, 2023, in Jacksonville.
Series record: Jaguars lead 13-11.
Baltimore's offensive line against Jacksonville's defensive front. The Ravens' running game has struggled without Jackson, and the offensive line already has had to go through many injury-related changes since the start of the season. Baltimore surely would like to lean on Derrick Henry to make things easier for Fagnano. The Jaguars will try to prevent that.
— The Jaguars are playing their first Thursday night game since winning at New Orleans in 2023.
— The Jags are 14-4 against the AFC under second-year coach Liam Coen. They have outscored AFC opponents 553-320 in those games, a plus-233 scoring margin that’s the best in the NFL by 91 points.
— Last week the Jags became the first team since Kansas City in 2004 to have two TD passes of 25 or more yards and two rushing TDs of 25 or more yards in the same game.
— Jacksonville’s 10 scores of 25-plus yards in 2026 lead the NFL.
— Baltimore's Zay Flowers has 311 yards after the catch this season, trailing only Jaylen Warren (346) and Puka Nacua (323).
— Henry is ninth on the NFL's career rushing list with 13,650 yards. He is 12 yards behind Jerome Bettis and 34 behind LaDainian Tomlinson.
— Ravens LB Roquan Smith is the only player in the league with at least 60 tackles, multiple sacks and multiple forced fumbles this season.
— One stat Baltimore hopes won't be relevant Thursday: The Ravens have not been shut out since 2002. Their 395-game streak of scoring at least one point trails only San Francisco's run of 420 from 1977-2004 as the longest in NFL history.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.
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