Jaguars Rout Depleted Ravens 33-10 in Baltimore for Fifth Win in Six Games as Trevor Lawrence Throws for 242 Yards

The Jacksonville Jaguars did exactly what a 10-point favorite is supposed to do against a team down to its third quarterback. Jacksonville beat the injury-riddled Baltimore Ravens 33-10 on Thursday Night Football at M&T Bank Stadium, winning for the fifth time in six games and improving to 6-2. Trevor Lawrence threw for 242 yards and a touchdown, the defense forced three turnovers, and the Jaguars held Baltimore without a point for nine straight possessions on a rainy night in Maryland.

The loss dropped Baltimore to 4-5 and extended its losing streak to four games. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano made his first career start with Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley both on injured reserve, and the Ravens never threatened after the first quarter. According to the Associated Press, it is the first time in franchise history that Baltimore has lost three straight games by at least 20 points.

How the game unfolded

Jacksonville set the tone immediately. The Jaguars drove 77 yards on their opening possession, and Bhayshul Tuten finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run. Baltimore answered with a field goal on its first drive, the only points the Ravens would score until the game was long decided. Lawrence said afterward, per the AP, that the opening drive was huge for setting the tone.

The decisive play of the first half came with 58 seconds left before the break, when Lawrence found Parker Washington for a 50-yard touchdown that made it 17-3 at halftime. Kicker Cam Little did the rest of the steady work, tying his career high with four field goals, according to ESPN. A Ravens fumble on a kickoff return and two second-half interceptions of Fagnano kept the ball in Jacksonville's hands.

Baltimore had one opening in the third quarter. Trailing 20-3, the Ravens took over at midfield after a fumble but turned the ball over on downs. Chris Rodriguez Jr. later scored on a 2-yard run with 7:26 left to make it 33-3. Eleven seconds later, Justice Hill broke a 65-yard touchdown run, Baltimore's first touchdown after halftime since Week 5, for the final margin.

The scoring, by quarter as reported in the AP and NFL.com accounts, ran like this:

Trevor Lawrence stays efficient

Lawrence completed 16 of 26 passes for 242 yards and the touchdown to Washington, spreading the ball to eight different receivers and finishing with a 105.0 passer rating, according to NFL.com. He has not thrown an interception in 10 quarters, and his season passer rating of 111.7 leads the NFL, a hair ahead of Cincinnati's Joe Burrow at 111.6.

The Jaguars' quarterback was especially sharp pushing the ball downfield. NFL Next Gen Stats credited him with 8 completions on 10 downfield attempts for 193 yards and the touchdown, his most downfield passing yards in a game this season. It was the kind of clean, mistake-free outing Jacksonville needed on a short week, four days after a 42-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts at EverBank Stadium.

A defense that keeps smothering opponents

Jacksonville entered Week 9 ranked second in the league in points allowed and first in run defense, and it played like it. After Baltimore's opening field goal, the Ravens went nine straight possessions without scoring until Hill's long run. Baltimore finished with 227 total yards, 10 first downs and a 4-of-14 mark on third down, according to NFL.com.

Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis each intercepted Fagnano, and the Jaguars recovered a fumble on a kickoff return. Jacksonville also held Derrick Henry to 57 yards on 17 carries, and coach Liam Coen said after the game, per the AP, that the team had practiced against the Wildcat formation a ton in anticipation of Baltimore putting the ball directly in Henry's hands. It was the fourth time this season the Jaguars have held an opponent to 10 points or fewer.

The one blemish came late. Hill's 85 yards on nine carries ended Jacksonville's streak of 24 games without allowing a 75-yard rusher, according to the AP. The Jaguars are also playing without defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, who was lost for the season earlier in the week.

Baltimore's quarterback crisis

The Ravens came in with little margin. Jackson is on injured reserve with a right thumb injury and is likely out for the season, according to NFL.com, after only just returning from an ankle sprain. Huntley is out for the season with turf toe. That left Fagnano, a 25-year-old undrafted rookie who made his NFL debut the previous week, to start in front of the home crowd.

Fagnano completed 10 of 18 passes for 60 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. NFL Next Gen Stats counted just one pass of 10 or more air yards all night. The Ravens were also without starting cornerback Nate Wiggins because of an illness, and star safety Kyle Hamilton has a hip injury. Baltimore is awaiting the arrival of veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, according to the AP.

Henry did reach a milestone in defeat. His 57 yards gave him 13,707 career rushing yards, moving him past Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis and LaDainian Tomlinson into seventh place on the NFL's all-time list, according to NFL.com. Rookie head coach Jesse Minter told his players there are no excuses, per the AP, after Baltimore heard boos at home.

What it means in the AFC South

For Northeast Florida, the result keeps the Jaguars firmly in control of their division. Jacksonville now holds a 3 1/2-game lead in the AFC South, according to the AP, and its two losses include a Week 6 defeat against the Houston Texans. The Jaguars have three wins by 24 or more points, more than any other team in the league, NFL.com noted, including the 42-7 win over the Colts that remains the largest margin of the NFL season.

Thursday's game was the matchup oddsmakers expected. Jacksonville was installed as a 10-point road favorite once Fagnano was confirmed as the starter, and the Jaguars covered comfortably.

What's next

The Thursday game gives Jacksonville a long break. The Jaguars do not play again until Sunday, Nov. 15, when they visit the Tennessee Titans for a division game. Baltimore hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, Nov. 16, likely with Brissett in the quarterback mix as the Ravens try to stop a four-game slide.