Jaguars vs. Ravens betting preview: Odds, picks, props, trends, injuries, weather and more for Week 9 Thursday Night Football
The Ravens are starting whom at quarterback tonight vs. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars?
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As recently as when the Sunday 1 p.m. games kicked off in NFL Week 8, the Thursday night game to kick off Week 9 featuring Jacksonville (5-2) at Baltimore (4-4) looked like it would be hugely important in the AFC playoff race. And maybe it still will be. But now the North Division cellar-dwelling Ravens are in free-fall, and with Lamar Jackson and their backup quarterback out injured. Sadly, we might be looking at a rout for the South-leading Jaguars. It's a typical 8:15 p.m. ET kick on Prime Video.
I can easily say to you folks that I never expected to say the name Joe Fagnano again in my life, but the 25-year-old rookie undrafted free agent out of UConn will start under center. Fagnano wasn't expected to make the team this summer -- most undrafted players don't -- but played well in the preseason in completing 56 of 75 for 509 yards, a TD and a pick for a QBR of 100.4. That was enough to earn a spot on the roster as the third-string QB.
Do you recall a game where a team's top three quarterbacks all got hurt? Jackson is out at least four weeks with a thumb injury suffered on the first play of Sunday's loss in Buffalo and might be done for the year -- and as a Raven. That was his first game back after missing three with a different injury. Solid-enough veteran backup Tyler Huntley also left that game with turf toe and is done for the season. Believe it or not, Fagnano also got hurt Sunday with an ankle and was seen wearing a brace this week but will go. He can't miss an opportunity like this.
Fagnano predictably struggled, going 10 of 21 for 91 yards, a pick and three sacks taken. His QBR was 7.4. Yeah, the preseason is a bit different than the regular season. Incidentally, as of Week 5, Baltimore was among the Super Bowl favorites and was still +1400 entering Week 8 with Jackson's return. Now the team is +10000, +500 to simply make the playoffs, with a win total of 6.5. That wins number was a league-high 11.5 in the preseason.
I believe the season is over, but maybe an upset here convinces the front office to make a move for a quarterback. You had heard Bears backup Tyson Bagent (you can have him), as first-year Ravens offensive coordinator was in the same postion last year in Chicago. But instead, the Ravens did better by landing Jacoby Brissett from Arizona on Wednesday, although obviously he won't play here.
There are really no excuses for the Jaguars to lose tonight unless they lose focus and take things for granted. They are completely control of the South with a three-game lead. Their five wins are as many as the rest of the division combined -- so that's all but in the bag, barring a Trevor Lawrence injury. Obviously, getting the AFC's No. 1 seed would be ideal; the Jags currently sit third in those overall standings and are +500 for that, behind Buffalo (+135) and Denver (+400). Jacksonville would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Broncos and don't play the Bills.
We'll take you through every aspect of the Jaguars vs. Ravens game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, DFS, injury information and anything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the prime-time matchup.
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