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Major Takeaways
- Jacksonville beat Baltimore 33 to 10 on Thursday night to improve to 6 and 2 and stretch its lead atop the AFC South.
- Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley were both placed on injured reserve on Thursday, leaving rookie Joe Fagnano to make his first career start.
- Fagnano threw for just 60 yards with two interceptions as Baltimore lost its fourth straight game and fell to 4 and 5.
- Derrick Henry passed Jerome Bettis and LaDainian Tomlinson to move into seventh place on the all time rushing list with 13,707 yards.
- Veteran Jacoby Brissett is expected to arrive from Arizona and start for Baltimore on November 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The season of Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens changed in one rainy Thursday night in Baltimore.
Jacksonville beat Baltimore 33 to 10 at M&T Bank Stadium to open the week.
The loss was the fourth straight defeat for Baltimore.
The Ravens fell to 4 and 5 after a 4 and 1 start.
Hours before kickoff the team placed Lamar Jackson on injured reserve.
Jackson hurt his right thumb on Sunday in a loss at Buffalo.
The injury is to his throwing hand and it requires surgery.
Backup Tyler Huntley was placed on injured reserve the same day.
Huntley hurt his right toe in the same Buffalo game.
Reports around the team expect Huntley to miss the rest of the season.
Both quarterbacks must now miss at least the next four games.
That left an undrafted rookie to start the biggest game of the Ravens season.
1. Jacksonville Took Control Early and Never Let Go
Trevor Lawrence played calm and clean football in the rain.
Lawrence completed 16 of 26 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown.
He threw no interceptions and finished with a 105.0 passer rating.
Jacksonville scored first and never trailed all night.
Bhayshul Tuten opened the scoring with a 1 yard touchdown run.
That run capped the opening drive of the game.
Jake Moody answered with a 53 yard field goal for Baltimore.
Cam Little then began a long night of steady kicking for Jacksonville.
Little made four field goals in the win.
His kicks came from 36 yards, 45 yards, 47 yards and 33 yards.
The decisive moment came late in the second quarter.
Lawrence found Parker Washington for a 50 yard touchdown with 58 seconds left in the half.
The score stretched the lead to 17 to 3 at the break.
Lawrence had thrown for 197 yards by halftime.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. added a 2 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
That score pushed the lead to 33 to 3 before Baltimore finally answered.
Jacksonville outgained Baltimore 319 yards to 227 yards.
The Jaguars defense forced three turnovers on the night.
Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis each grabbed an interception.
Jalen McLeod recovered a fumble that set up another score.
Jacksonville has now allowed just 17 points across its last two games.
The Jaguars beat Indianapolis 42 to 7 in their game before this one.
2. A Rookie Was Asked to Save a Season in the Rain
Joe Fagnano made his first career start for Baltimore on Thursday night.
The undrafted rookie from UConn had only three days to prepare.
His start was confirmed on Tuesday after injuries emptied the quarterback room.
Fagnano completed 10 of 18 passes for just 60 yards.
He threw two interceptions and finished with a 22.7 passer rating.
Baltimore managed only 55 net passing yards for the whole game.
It would be wrong to lay this loss at the feet of one rookie.
He walked into a road tested defense with a short week and heavy rain.
His offensive line could not protect him with any consistency.
Baltimore could not run the ball well enough to help him either.
Justice Hill gave the home crowd its only real moment of joy.
Hill broke free for a 65 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
That was the first second half touchdown for Baltimore since October 11.
The Ravens have been outscored 84 to 10 in second halves during this losing streak.
Star safety Kyle Hamilton left the game with a hip injury.
Top cornerback Nate Wiggins was also inactive for the game.
Another young passer is stepping into the fire this week in Cleveland, where Shedeur Sanders is in line to start for the Browns at the Saints.
3. Losing Lamar Jackson Changes Everything in Baltimore
Lamar Jackson is not just the starting quarterback in Baltimore.
He is the face of the franchise and a two time Most Valuable Player.
His arm and his legs built the entire identity of this offense.
Black quarterbacks were once told to change positions to stay in this league.
Jackson answered that old insult by becoming the standard at the position.
He is the all time leader in rushing yards for a quarterback.
Fans in Baltimore and far beyond see their own children in his story.
A kid from Pompano Beach became one of the faces of the sport.
That is why this injury lands so hard across Black football culture.
Baltimore entered this season expecting to chase a championship.
The Ravens now sit at the bottom of the AFC North.
Thursday marked a painful first in team history.
It was the first time in the 31 year history of the franchise that Baltimore lost three straight games by 20 or more points.
A season that began with such promise is now fighting for survival.
4. Derrick Henry Gave the Night One Historic Bright Spot
Derrick Henry kept climbing into football history on Thursday night.
Henry ran for 57 yards on 17 carries against Jacksonville.
Those yards pushed his career total to 13,707 rushing yards.
He passed Jerome Bettis and LaDainian Tomlinson on the all time list.
Henry now stands seventh in league history in rushing yards.
Curtis Martin sits next ahead of him with 14,101 yards.
Henry has built that legacy with power that Black running backs defined for generations.
From Jim Brown to Barry Sanders to Henry, the position carries deep cultural pride.
His milestone deserved a better stage than a blowout loss at home.
Still, the record books will remember the night he passed two legends.
5. Jacksonville Looks Real While Baltimore Waits on a Veteran
Jacksonville improved to 6 and 2 with its fifth win in six games.
The Jaguars lead the AFC South by three and a half games.
They sit tied with Pittsburgh and Denver at 6 and 2 in the AFC.
Only Buffalo at 6 and 1 stands ahead of that group.
Jacksonville hosts Tennessee on November 15 in its next game.
Head coach Liam Coen has this team playing complete football.
The defense travels, the kicking game is money and Lawrence is dealing.
Baltimore now turns to veteran help at the most important position.
The Ravens are finalizing a trade with Arizona for Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett has made 73 career starts in this league.
He started the first eight games of this season for Arizona.
Reports expect Brissett to start on November 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Brissett is another Black veteran who has answered the call for team after team.
His steadiness gives Baltimore a real passing offense while Jackson heals.
Nothing about the next month will be easy for the Ravens.
The margin for error in the AFC North is now gone.
But a healthy Jackson return later this season would change the math again.
Until then, Baltimore must survive one week at a time.
For Jacksonville, Thursday night sent a simple message to the whole league.
This team is no longer a good story.
This team is a real contender.
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