Jaguars Report Card: What Went Right and Wrong vs. Ravens

The Jacksonville Jaguars weren’t perfect in all three phases against the Baltimore Ravens on the road Thursday, but did plenty in each to secure a 33-10 win.

The Jaguars were fresh off an impressive offensive and defensive outing Sunday against the Colts, and they carried their success into Week 9. The team capitalized on a banged-up squad starting its third-string quarterback and proved unaffected by the short week. 

Offense: B

For the second straight week, the Jaguars kicked the game off with a touchdown on their opening drive. The opening drive ended in a 1-yard Bhayshul Tuten rush to cap a7-play, 77-yard possession, highlighted by a 52-yard grab from rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher 

The Jaguars scored again with just under a minute left in the first half on receiver Parker Washington’s 50-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Shaping up to be another explosive day for the offense, the scoring stalled in the third quarter. The Jaguars didn’t reach the end zone again until running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored on a direct snap with 7:31 to play in the game. 

“There were some [opportunities] to create some more there, whether it was with vision, whether it was with timing, pace, sustaining blocks, being on the same page on a couple things,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “The third down, throwing catch on the bubble out there versus blitz where you got two for two blocked up, you’re probably going to go walk in the end zone. I look at that as a missed opportunity.”

Lawrence, who finished 16-of-26 passing for 242 yards and a touchdown, turned in a solid performance. Jakobi Meyers was his most productive receiver, posting 65 yards on a team-high for catches. No other Jaguar had more than two grabs.

While not having an explosive night, the run game also chipped away at a struggling Baltimore defense. Tuten and Rodriguez combined for 48 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, before Ameer Abdullah entered in the fourth quarter and finished with a team-high 30 rushing yards on seven carries. 

The offense totaled 319 yards, with 242 coming in the air. 

Defense: B+

The Jaguars were not facing their strongest offensive opponent, with the Ravens down to third-string quarterback Joe Fagnano, but the defense continued rolling from its elite outing against the Colts. 

The Jaguars held star running back Derrick Henry to 57 yards on 17 carries, allowing 3.4 yards per carry. Overall, it allowed 172 rushing yards, which would seem significant if not for one 65-yard rush from Justice Hill making up a large chunk of it.

The Jaguars stifled the Ravens most in the passing game, though. They allowed just 55 passing yards and limited explosive plays, giving up just 2.8 yards per pass. 

Fagnano was held to 10-of-18 passing for 60 yards. He also threw two interceptions, getting picked off once by Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown and again by cornerback Jourdan Lewis. This marked the Jaguars’ second-straight game with two interceptions. 

Linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Ventrell Miller led the team in tackles with seven apiece. Oluokun also recorded a sack and a quarterback hit while Miller added a pass defended. 

“He calls the game aggressively, and the players are playing it aggressively as well,” Coen said of defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s success. “A lot of work gets put into it behind the scenes.”

Special Teams: A-

Cam Little stepped up once again for the Jaguars. He drilled all four of his field goals — his longest from 47 yards  — and totaled 15 of the team’s 33 points. 

Little continues to show up for the team, especially when the offense starts to lag, and did so Thursday in tough, rainy conditions. 

Aside from Little, the special teams unit was solid. In the second half, the unit forced a fumble on a kick return, and it didn’t allow many costly explosive returns like it had in earlier weeks. Its worst showing was on a 32-yard kick return by running back Rasheen Ali. The Jaguars didn’t have an impactful return themselves, but there wasn’t much to complain about in this phase.

Category: Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL