Jaguars at Ravens: Rookie Fagnano Starts With Jackson Out

Thursday Night Football opens Week 9 with a game that changed shape on Sunday. The Jacksonville Jaguars visit the Baltimore Ravens at M and T Bank Stadium, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Baltimore will start an undrafted rookie at quarterback. Jacksonville arrives fresh off a 42 to 7 rout of Indianapolis.

The Ravens, 4 and 4, have lost three straight games, most recently 36 to 10 against Buffalo. That loss cost them two quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson jammed his right thumb on the arm of Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau, on the first offensive play of the game by some accounts, and left the field. Head coach Jesse Minter said on Sunday, November 1, that Jackson needs surgery and will go on injured reserve. Players on injured reserve miss at least four games. Minter said the injury could potentially end Jackson's season, and the team has given no firm return date.

A third quarterback in five days

Backup Tyler Huntley took over against Buffalo and suffered a turf toe injury. He also needs surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Third stringer Joe Fagnano finished the game, completing 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards with one interception.

On Tuesday, November 3, Minter named Fagnano the starter for Thursday night. Fagnano is an undrafted free agent rookie from the University of Maine. Baltimore also traded for veteran Jacoby Brissett from Arizona this week, but Brissett is not yet officially on the roster and is not eligible to play on Thursday. The emergency room behind Fagnano holds Kedon Slovis and Austin Reed.

What it means for Baltimore's offence

Derrick Henry has carried the cost of the quarterback crisis so far. Henry averages 4.0 yards a carry this season and has run for 156 yards across the last three games, as defences crowd the line with no Jackson threat beside him. Against Jacksonville, Baltimore's simplest path is Henry early, short throws for Fagnano, and a defence that keeps the score low enough for a rookie to manage.

Safety Kyle Hamilton, speaking this week, framed the week as a defensive job. The Ravens defence will also face a Jacksonville side missing pieces. Defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and safety Eric Murphy were lost to season ending injuries, and linebacker Travon Walker is dealing with a rib injury. On the Jaguars' own injury report, running back Bhayshul Tuten, ankle and foot, and Walker, rib, were listed as questionable in the final reports carried by team beat outlets.

The Jacksonville side

Trevor Lawrence leads a Jaguars team that answered a Week 7 loss to Houston with the 42 to 7 win over the Colts in Week 8. Jacksonville is a heavy road favourite, by 8.5 to 9 points in preview listings, a line that reflects the quarterback gap more than the rosters. Road teams on Thursday night usually face a short week disadvantage. This week the disadvantage sits with the home team, which lost its first and second quarterbacks four days ago.

Key numbers

• 8:15 p.m. ET: kickoff at M and T Bank Stadium, on Prime Video
• 4 and 4: Baltimore's record, with three straight losses
• 42 to 7: Jacksonville's Week 8 win over Indianapolis
• 10 of 21, 91 yards: Fagnano's line finishing the Buffalo game
• 4 games minimum: Jackson's injured reserve absence
• 156: Henry's rushing yards over the last three games

What happens next

A loss drops Baltimore to 4 and 5 and deepens a hole in the AFC North race. A win, with a rookie making his first start, would be the result of Baltimore's season. Either way, the Ravens' season now runs through a surgery schedule: Jackson's thumb, Huntley's toe, and a trade for Brissett that cannot help until next week at the earliest. The same night report will be published on this site after the final whistle.