(Photo: The Florida-Times Union)
AFC Game Of The Week
Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars
Ravens: It wasn’t pretty or the best looking football, but they won and as I said last week prior to their game against the Los Angeles Rams. The AFC North is there’s to lose as far as I am concerned. With that thrilling win on Sunday over those Rams, they became the first team in the AFC to capture their tenth victory. As of now, they hold the top spot in the AFC playoff picture and the road to Las Vegas would travel through M&T Bank Stadium if the playoffs were to kick off today. This is the best Ravens team I’ve seen since 2019 and that’s Lamar Jackson’s first season as a starting Quarterback when he won league MVP. I want to say this about Lamar and I wouldn’t be me if I weren’t honest. I like Lamar a lot and have ever since his college days at Louisville. The one thing I’ve noticed about him this year is he’s not looking to run first to make a play this year. I can sit here and say he’s improved his awareness in the pocket for sure and he’s looking to make those reads down the field, then when the play breaks down, he’ll run. That much I will give him and he’s learning. What concerns me is the accuracy he displays from the pocket which is up and down and the decision making could be a bit more consistent. On the year, he’s thrown 16 touchdown passes to six interceptions. Against LA on Sunday, the Rams moved the football down the field pretty fluidly on one of the best defenses in this league today. To attack an elite defense, you must run it at them and the Rams did just that. The Ravens however were just one play better when it mattered and Tylan Wallace called game. I want them to do well come playoff time. Once again, it’ll depend on if Lamar can take that next step as a passer in the postseason. This Sunday night, they will make a trip down to Florida to face the AFC South leaders.
Jaguars: The tour of Ohio went terribly for them. They dropped a game to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, a game many thought they’d take, especially with the Bengals not having Joe Burrow. That was also the game where Trevor Lawrence unfortunately injured his ankle. This past Sunday, they continued on with a game against the Cleveland Browns and it was gritty effort, but they felt short. I applaud Trevor for playing through another injury, then again, it’s a long season and who isn’t injured or nicked up around this time of the year? Watching that game, it wasn’t one of the Jaguars cleanest games. It was too many mistakes across the board, penalties, missed opportunities and missed throws. Plus, I knew this would be a challenge for the Quarterback going against the number one ranked defense. What made their performance even uglier in this game was the four turnovers and three of them were interceptions courtesy of Trevor. Offensively, they were disconnected and had too many self-inflicted wounds. Despite the two consecutive losses, they’re still in the drivers seat of the AFC South in first place. What was once their biggest strength at the beginning of the year has turned into their weakness which is their defense and I remember mentioning them forcing the takeaways which is great and all, but when they don’t have those turnovers, then what? Even Doug Pederson will tell you their struggles are courtesy of them. It’s dropping passes, pre-snap penalties and negative yards. This is all fixable in my eyes. They will look to stop the bleeding on Sunday night with the Baltimore Ravens in town. It’s safe to say their tour of the AFC North will continue. They’ve already played both Cleveland and Cincinnati, next, it’s onto the leaders of the AFC North.
Ravens X-Factor: Jadeveon Clowney– He’s found a resurgence since coming to Baltimore. Jadeveon leads the team in sacks with 7.5. I never questioned if he wasn’t good or anything, it was all about him staying on the field because he’s struggled to stay healthy. When he’s 100 percent and locked in, he’s still a piece that can contribute and the Ravens are benefitting from his services. What makes this Ravens defense so great is you never know who’s going to be thrown in your direction. This is a fast, electric, yet physical unit.
Jaguars X-Factor: Roy-Robertson-Harris: He’s one of the key pieces on this Jacksonville defensive front. At 6’5, Roy is athletic with long arms to impact any play. Jacksonville can line him up on the edge or inside as an interior Defensive Lineman. Roy is scrappy and fights his way to the football. He has a strong pursuit and will do all he can to take down the ball-carrier. Watch how the Jags will use Roy to help contain Lamar.
Final Thoughts: This ended up being one of the more thrilling games of the 2022 season. The Jaguars stunned the Ravens by a point and Baltimore came close to coming back, but Justin Tucker would miss the field goal. Now, these two will meet up as division leaders who are both fighting for positioning in the AFC playoff picture. First, how healthy is Trevor Lawrence? If I know he’s not 100 percent, as a defense, I must take advantage of that and force him to move. Test out his mobility so expect to see Baltimore in a zone scheme. If the Rams could find some holes in the Ravens defense last Sunday, I’m sure Jacksonville can do the same this Sunday if they give Trevor time. Lamar is coming off one of his best passing performance of the season against the Rams. The Jaguars are second to last in pass defense, so I expect Baltimore to attack the Jacksonville secondary consistently on Sunday night. The Jaguars have played three of the best defenses in the league this year (Kansas City, San Francisco and Cleveland). Next, the Ravens are here. I like Baltimore on the road under the lights in this one.
Prediction: Ravens 31, Jaguars 20
