Ravens Turn to Rookie Joe Fagnano for Thursday Night Start Against Jaguars

The Baltimore Ravens will hand the ball to undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano on Thursday night, as the injury-hit hosts face the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium in a Week 9 opener that neither side could have pictured a week ago.

Fagnano, an undrafted rookie out of UConn, makes his first NFL start as the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) visit the Baltimore Ravens (4-4) at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Al Michaels will call the game, with Kirk Herbstreit as analyst and Kaylee Hartung reporting from the sideline.

Jacksonville arrives leading the AFC South after routing the Indianapolis Colts 42-7 last Sunday. Baltimore has lost three straight games and sits last in the AFC North. According to US Sports Media’s game preview, Jacksonville enters as the clear road favourite, with the better form, the stronger defence and a settled quarterback.

How Baltimore’s quarterback room emptied

The problems began on the first offensive play of Sunday’s 36-10 loss at Buffalo, when two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson injured his right thumb. Jackson needs surgery and is headed to injured reserve. Backup Tyler Huntley then suffered a turf toe injury in relief and is out for the rest of the season, with surgery expected.

Fagnano was thrust into Sunday’s game after Jackson and Huntley went down. He completed 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards with one interception in relief. He is also dealing with an ankle injury from that game, but he practised fully on Tuesday. Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed on Tuesday that Fagnano would start on Thursday.

Baltimore added veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett from Arizona on Wednesday, but Fagnano will still start on the short week, with Brissett reportedly expected to take over against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football on 16 November. The Ravens have also signed Kedon Slovis from Green Bay’s practice squad for quarterback depth.

VSiN’s Week 9 injury roundup also lists Baltimore’s quarterback crisis among a league-wide run of injuries at the position this week. Baltimore is not the only club improvising at quarterback: the Eagles’ quarterback change for their game against the Giants is another reminder of how quickly depth charts can unravel.

Jacksonville brings the league’s stingiest run defence

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has thrown 32 touchdown passes against five interceptions in his last 13 regular-season games, according to the Jaguars’ team site. Jacksonville’s defence allows just 15.9 points per game, the second-best scoring defence in the NFL, and leads the league in run defence at 77.4 yards per game.

Baltimore’s clearest path back into contention runs through Derrick Henry. The Ravens average 133.5 rushing yards per game, sixth in the NFL, and Henry has dominated Jacksonville: 1,584 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns at 5.4 yards per carry in 15 career games against the Jaguars. But Jacksonville has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in its last 24 games, and the Jaguars’ team site notes that stopping Henry is its defence’s top priority.

Jacksonville will have to do that without nose tackle DaVon Hamilton, who is out for the rest of the season with a quadriceps injury.

The injury list keeps growing

Safety Jaylinn Hawkins (knee) and Huntley (toe) are out, while running back Adam Randall (neck) and cornerback Nate Wiggins (stinger, illness) are questionable. For Jacksonville, running back Bhayshul Tuten (ankle, foot) and defensive end Travon Walker (rib) are questionable.

What is at stake on Thursday night

A Jacksonville win would strengthen its hold on the AFC South and extend Baltimore’s losing run to four games, dropping the Ravens below .500 for the first time this season. A Baltimore upset would reset the Ravens’ season and make Fagnano’s first start one of the stories of Week 9, with the Brissett question then becoming the next decision for the coaching staff.

Jacksonville leads the all-time series 13-11, and the teams have split their last six meetings 3-3. Baltimore won the last meeting, 23-7, on 17 December 2023, although Jacksonville has won only once in eight visits to Baltimore.

The week has already produced one comeback story, with the Jets’ overtime win over Montreal on Tuesday night, and UCLA’s upset of Arizona showed how quickly a favourite can fall. Baltimore’s path to an upset is narrow but real. If the Ravens protect Fagnano, lean on Henry, and turn the game into a low-scoring, field-position contest, they can keep it close into the fourth quarter. But if Jacksonville stops Henry early and forces Fagnano into obvious passing downs, the Jaguars’ pass rush and secondary should take control.

Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, 5 November, at M&T Bank Stadium. This is a preview: the game has not yet been played.