Thursday night’s Jaguars-Ravens matchup comes with a strange feel to it, mostly because of the injuries hanging over Baltimore and the quarterback situation that has turned this into a survival game. Jacksonville enters Week 9 at 5-2 and sitting three games ahead of the Texans in the AFC South. Baltimore, meanwhile, is 4-4 and stuck in last place in the AFC North.
That’s the backdrop for a game where the Ravens are going to have to find a way to move the football, and that path looks narrow. Jacksonville’s defense should be able to crowd the line and make life difficult for Derrick Henry, which puts even more pressure on Baltimore to stay on schedule. If the Ravens can’t create enough offense, the Jaguars may not need a huge scoring night to control this one.
One of the biggest reasons Jacksonville can keep things simple is the ground game, and that points directly to Bhayshul Tuten. After going for 104 rushing yards against the Colts, he looks positioned for another productive night. The Jaguars should be able to lean on the run once they build a lead, and that would mean more touches for Tuten as the game wears on.
Liam Coen made it clear he liked what he saw from the rookie, according to jacksonville.com.
“I thought Tuten played really well (against the Colts),” Coen said. “He was seeing it.
I thought he was a little more patient in this game. He was running through contact.
He was explosive in the passing game. Tuten had a great week of practice, and it really carried over.”
Tuten said the conditions helped the Jaguars stick with what they wanted to do, according to ESPN.
“We knew it was going to rain,” Tuten said. “We knew we were going to run the ball, and we just went out and imposed our will.”
That kind of setup could also open the door for Trevor Lawrence to finish drives through the air. Even if Tuten is chewing up yards between the tackles, Baltimore may still sell out near the goal line to stop the run, which would create chances for Lawrence to throw touchdowns. He has 17 touchdown passes and four interceptions this season.
Lawrence also doesn’t sound interested in letting Jacksonville drift into comfort mode, according to news4jax.com.
“Winning your division is really important, but I think for us, it’s really just going week by week,” Lawrence said. “It’s not something we think, ‘Oh, we’re a few games up.
We’re in a good spot. We can relax.’
That’s not really at all how we think. We got a lot of football left.”
Baltimore’s defensive approach is the other major question. The Ravens can either gamble and try to generate splash plays, or they can play it safer and hope to keep the game close enough for a late push.
If they get aggressive against Lawrence, he can punish them downfield. If they sit back, they risk letting Jacksonville control the tempo.
On the other side, the Ravens’ clearest answer is to keep feeding Henry. He has reached 24 carries twice this season, and his high-water mark is 26, which came against the Cowboys in overtime. He could be in line to go past that number Thursday, assuming Baltimore can keep the game within reach long enough to keep handing him the ball.
Even if the Ravens fall behind, Henry may still be their best shot. The offense has been tied to him, and with the injury to Jackson fueling trade talk around him, the focus remains on what Baltimore can squeeze out of its current roster. John Harbaugh addressed the challenge of making moves, according to Giants.com.
“We're going to do the most we can possibly do to try to get some things done,” Harbaugh said. “It's hard to get deals done.
It's hard. You can see how hard it is, but we're going to do our best and what's for our team.
And the best thing we can do, the main thing we're going to do is focus on our guys and get ready to play the game. But all that other stuff is definitely going on behind the scenes at all times.”
For now, Henry is still there, and Thursday night likely runs through him.
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Mark Andrews, Malaki Starks and John Simpson have each seen their recent play dip at a time when Baltimore can least afford it. Andrews has not been producing as much as a pass catcher, Starks has had some rough moments in deep safety coverage, and Simpsons issues in pass protection have added another concern to an offense already trying to find its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face A Calais Campbell Decision As Trade Buzz Builds
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One potential suitor makes the situation even more interesting because of the familiar coaching tie. A team led by John Harbaugh is expected to be in the market for help, and Campbells history in that system could make him a logical fit if the Ravens decide to move him. Baltimore would not be dealing from a position of leverage, which is why this is the kind of deadline subplot that can develop quickly once teams start looking for immediate defensive help. [Read more 🡒]