Ravens' collapse deepens as rookie starter falls to Jaguars in rout

The Baltimore Ravens fell to 4-5 on the season after a 33-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, their fourth consecutive defeat and the latest sign of a season that has unraveled since a 4-1 start. The game, played in steady rain before 70,007 fans at M&T Bank Stadium, was started for Baltimore by Joe Fagnano, an undrafted rookie making his first NFL appearance after both of the team's established quarterbacks were lost to injury.

What happened

Jacksonville never trailed. Running back Bhayshul Tuten, playing through a foot and ankle injury, opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, and the Jaguars led 17-3 at halftime after wide receiver Parker Washington hauled in a juggled 50-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Lawrence late in the second quarter. Kicker Cam Little added four field goals, from 33, 36, 45 and 47 yards, and the Jaguars defense forced three turnovers, intercepting Fagnano twice and recovering a kickoff fumble. Baltimore's only touchdown came on a 65-yard run by Justice Hill in the fourth quarter, the Ravens' first second-half touchdown since Week 5.

By the numbers

• Jacksonville outgained Baltimore 319-227 in total yards.
• Fagnano completed 10 of 18 passes for 60 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
• Lawrence finished 16 of 26 for 242 yards and a touchdown, pushing his season total to 18 touchdown passes against four interceptions.
• Baltimore was penalized seven times, four for false starts, after entering the week with the NFL's most pre-snap penalties.
• Running back Derrick Henry carried 17 times for 57 yards and passed LaDainian Tomlinson for seventh on the NFL's all-time rushing list; he also took 10 direct snaps out of the backfield, more than double his previous career high of five.

Baltimore actually ran four more offensive plays than Jacksonville in the first half, yet was outgained 224-101 over that stretch, a sign of how little the Ravens' possessions produced. Kicker Jake Moody made a 53-yard field goal in the first quarter, his first attempt since signing with Baltimore, but it proved to be one of the team's few bright spots. The Ravens' only takeaway came in the third quarter, when linebacker Teddye Buchanan recovered a fumble forced by safety Malaki Starks, who was otherwise beaten by Washington on the touchdown that put Jacksonville ahead for good. On the other side of the ball, running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. added a short touchdown run for Jacksonville after linebacker Jalen McLeod recovered a Baltimore kickoff fumble, one of three Jaguars takeaways that each led directly to points.

The loss marked the first time in franchise history that the Ravens have lost three straight games by 20 or more points, and the fourth consecutive game in which they have been held under 14 points, also a franchise first, according to Baltimore's own game recap. Jacksonville, by contrast, improved to 6-2 and opened a three-and-a-half-game lead over the Houston Texans in the AFC South standings.

Background: a season upended at quarterback

Baltimore's collapse traces directly to its quarterback room. Lamar Jackson, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, has been sidelined by a thumb injury, and backup Tyler Huntley was also hurt in recent weeks. The team placed both players on injured reserve ahead of the Jaguars game, a move confirmed in Baltimore's own transactions announcement, leaving Fagnano as the only healthy quarterback on the active roster for Thursday's game. The rookie played with a heavy wrap on his right ankle and struggled against a Jacksonville pass rush that sacked him once and forced two of his throws into interceptions.

The quarterback shuffle has coincided with a broader statistical slide. Baltimore has now allowed 30 or more points in three straight games while scoring fewer than 14 in each of its last four, a combination the franchise had not experienced in its three-decade history. A league-wide roundup published by the NFL on Thursday noted the Lamar Jackson transaction alongside other injury news around the league, underscoring how central the quarterback situation has become to coverage of the team.

Who is affected

The result lands hardest on a Ravens roster built to contend in the AFC. Veteran players such as tight end Mark Andrews and Henry, both accustomed to contending teams, now face more weeks without their starting quarterback and a locker room absorbing consecutive lopsided defeats. Fans at M&T Bank Stadium booed loudly and many left before the final whistle. On the other side, Jacksonville's win cements Lawrence and head coach Liam Coen's team as the clear favorite in a weak AFC South, with Houston four games back in the loss column.

Reaction

Ravens head coach Jesse Minter did not look for excuses after the game.

"The results are not acceptable for us and what we're after."

Andrews echoed the sentiment, saying it was "not acceptable" and adding that the team was not used to performances like Thursday's, while Henry said simply, "It wasn't good enough. We've got to be better." Across the field, Coen described his team's week of preparation as "extremely proud of their process throughout the week," and praised Lawrence as "extremely sharp, accurate" in a "really solid football game." Lawrence kept his own comments brief, saying only that it was "good to get a win," while defensive end Josh Hines-Allen noted that beating a divisional rival on the road carried its own satisfaction.

What's next

Baltimore returns home to face the Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL's only winless team at 0-7, on Monday Night Football in Week 10. Reports out of the Ravens' facility indicate veteran Jacoby Brissett, rather than Fagnano, is expected to start at quarterback for Baltimore while Jackson and Huntley remain on injured reserve. For a team that opened 4-1, the game represents a chance to halt a four-game skid against an opponent still searching for its first win of the season, though the margin for further error is narrowing as Baltimore's playoff positioning erodes. Jacksonville, meanwhile, will look to build on its division lead as the season moves past the midpoint.