RAVENS VS. JAGUARS
The Ravens outlasted the Los Angeles Rams, 37-31, on an overtime punt return touchdown by unlikely hero Tylan Wallace. The Jaguars lost, 31-27, to the Cleveland Browns. Who will have the edge when these AFC division leaders meet Sunday night?
Ravens passing game vs. Jaguars pass defense
Lamar Jackson saved his best for last against the Rams, staring down pressure to make a pair of brilliant throws, one for a touchdown, the other for a 2-point conversion, in the last two minutes of regulation. Jackson threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns despite misfiring on several deep throws in damp conditions. One of the big plays he connected on was to wide-open tight end Isaiah Likely, who has caught nine passes for 123 yards in the Ravens’ two full games without
Mark Andrews. Coordinator Todd Monken has used motion to capitalize on Likely’s acceleration to the outside, not replacing Andrews but giving the Ravens a different dimension. Odell Beckham Jr. said he ran the wrong route on a 46-yard touchdown catch against the Rams, but he made a beautiful adjustment to Jackson’s throw, showing why he’s perhaps the top deep threat on the team at age 31. Flowers, who leads the Ravens in targets, catches and receiving yards, was the man Jackson looked for in the clutch. The offensive line played one of its best games as well, containing All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald on the inside while veteran tackles Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses returned to form on the edges.
Jackson will try to maintain his production against a Jacksonville defense that has slipped from third in FTN Fantasy’s defenseadjusted value over average (DVOA) over the first seven weeks to 17th over the past seven weeks. Former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco shredded the Jaguars for 311 yards and three touchdowns in Cleveland’s victory last Sunday, and Cincinnati Bengals backup Jake Browning threw for 354 in beating Jacksonville the week before. The Jaguars blitz on an above-average 29% of dropbacks but have just 27 sacks to show for it. Josh Allen, their 2019 first-round pick, is responsible for half of those along with 24 quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss, so containing him will be priority No. 1 for Stanley and Moses. Travon Walker, the first pick in the 2022 draft, is Jacksonville’s other threat from the edge, though he has yet to stand out consistently. Former Raven Darious Williams is easily the top player in the secondary with 19 passes defended. Jacksonville is vulnerable at the other corner, where starter Tyson Campbell is out with a quadriceps injury, as is safety Andre Cisco (groin). Cornerback Tre Herndon is also questionable after being limited by a concussion all week. The Jaguars have defended well on third down, less so in the red zone, where opponents have scored touchdowns on 56.4% of their possessions.