It’s Week 9, Thursday Night Football, and what was supposed to be a primetime clash just turned into a brutal test for the Baltimore Ravens. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley are both on Injured Reserve after picking up significant injuries in that Bills loss, and now emergency QB Joe Fagnano, who also got banged up, is making his first official NFL start tonight. Talk about a nightmare scenario unfolding for Baltimore.
Fagnano Thrown Into The Fire With No Safety Net
Seriously, this is a massive challenge for Fagnano. The dude has scant professional film, and what’s out there shows a quarterback who simply could not solve the Bills’ defense back in Week 8. Now he’s QB1, trying to lead a nose-diving Ravens squad to a win against one of the league’s most well-rounded teams. Baltimore’s coaching staff is basically just crossing their fingers that things go well enough. Because if they don’t? They’re forced to turn to Jacoby Brissett. The Ravens just traded for Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals, and yeah, he’s shown promise in past seasons. But here’s the kicker: he’s way less familiar with Baltimore’s playbook than Fagnano, who has been running the scout team until just this past week. It feels like we are set for a blowout this evening.
Can Derrick Henry Carry This Offense?
So, what’s the game plan for the Ravens? Do they roll out the smart play and run everything on offense through Derrick Henry? It’s not a terrible idea, but man, they don’t seem to have quite the offensive line and blocking that Henry enjoyed in prior seasons. Honestly, it wouldn’t be awful if they better incorporated Henry in the passing attack, right? This is a huge challenge for the Ravens against a 5-2 Jaguars team that we’ve barely even talked about, but they are absolutely rolling. Jacksonville has an enormous lead in the AFC South, with the 2-5 Houston Texans in a distant second in what’s looking like a mostly moribund division. Even Bills Mafia is gonna be Ravens fans tonight, because a Jags loss benefits Buffalo big time, even though the Bills are currently sitting pretty at the top of the AFC race to the playoffs.
This is a massive challenge for the Ravens. You can feel the tension for Baltimore, wondering if Fagnano can pull off a miracle, or if Brissett is going to be thrown into the fire against a 5-2 Jaguars team that’s clearly on a roll. It feels like a blowout is coming, but hey, it’s Thursday Night Football, and you never know what kind of chaos is waiting. Let’s see if Baltimore can shock the league.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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