Lamar Jackson Ravens Playoffs News: Fagnano Starts Thursday With the Season on the Line
The latest Lamar Jackson Ravens playoffs news is bleak. Jackson is headed to injured reserve, and backup Tyler Huntley’s season is reportedly over. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano makes his first NFL start tonight (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) against the 5-2 Jaguars, and plenty of fans have already written off a 4-4 season.
Our take: the season isn’t dead, but the case for hope is narrower than the feel-good story suggests.
Why Ravens fans are giving up
Status: Confirmed unless noted
Jackson will miss at least four games, and coach Jesse Minter said the injury could “potentially” end his season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that Huntley’s turf toe will end his season (Reported).
The Ravens have lost three straight and sit last in the AFC North. They haven’t scored a second-half touchdown since beating Atlanta, per Ravens.com. Fagnano will be their third different starting quarterback this year, The Baltimore Banner noted.
ESPN’s FPI gave Baltimore about a 50% playoff chance as of Oct. 28. That was before the Buffalo loss.
What really went wrong in Fagnano’s debut
Status: Confirmed
Fagnano entered Buffalo’s game after Jackson and Huntley both left. He went 5-of-8 for 50 yards in the first half, then finished 10-of-21 for 91 yards with an interception and a lost fumble. He was sacked three times.
The bigger picture is worse. The Bills held the ball for 37:36 to Baltimore’s 22:24, and the Ravens ran 49 plays for 144 yards and converted 3-of-13 third downs, per live game data and Yahoo Sports. Ebony Bird counted 28 pressures, and Buffalo hit Ravens quarterbacks 12 times and sacked them four times.
Fagnano also had zero first-team practice reps before the game, per Ravens.com.
Our take: protection drove most of that performance, and the defense paid for it. Baltimore’s defense played 76 snaps. Still, the same game data credited Baltimore’s passers with seven poor throws on 26 attempts, so the problem wasn’t only the line.
The Vega Ioane return
Status: Confirmed
Rookie right guard Vega Ioane sprained his right MCL in Week 7 against Cincinnati and missed the Buffalo game. He was a full participant in practice Tuesday and Wednesday and carries no injury designation tonight, per Yahoo Sports and Pro Football Talk.
Ebony Bird called him Baltimore’s best offensive lineman and noted that a healthy group of Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Cam Jurgens, Ioane and Roger Rosengarten might look competitive (Opinion). The caution: Rosengarten (ankle), Simpson (back) and nose tackle John Jenkins (knee) were limited Tuesday, per Pro Football Talk.
Baltimore Ravens injury report for tonight
- Out: S Jaylinn Hawkins (knee), QB Lamar Jackson (IR), QB Tyler Huntley, K Tyler Loop (IR).
- Questionable: CB Nate Wiggins (stinger).
- No designation: G Vega Ioane.
- Playing through an injury: QB Joe Fagnano (ankle brace; full participant Tuesday).
The Declan Doyle test
Status: Opinion, with facts
Doyle is a first-year Ravens coordinator. He held the same title in Chicago last season. He has acknowledged that he hasn’t always followed his second-half script closely, per Yahoo Sports.
Minter said without Jackson the offense might need a different style. Baltimore ran 19 times for 76 yards at Buffalo, a 4.0-yard average, but it ran only 49 plays and trailed most of the way.
Our take: if the Ravens lose tonight, much of the blame belongs to the play-calling. The tools are there: a healthier line, Derrick Henry and a rested defense. But injuries made the roster very thin, and Minter has said injuries aren’t an excuse.
Fagnano’s story
Status: Confirmed
Fagnano entered camp behind Jackson, Huntley and Skylar Thompson, The Baltimore Banner reported. A strong preseason, where he led all quarterbacks with 509 passing yards, got him on the opening roster, and the Ravens kept three quarterbacks for the first time in three years, per ESPN.
He’s the second undrafted rookie quarterback to start for Baltimore, after Anthony Brown in 2022, per Yahoo Sports.
Fagnano said his wife, Lydia, reads plays during living-room walkthroughs. “She probably knows the playbook just as well as us at this point,” he said, per ESPN. He also said he learned from Jackson and Huntley that you’re one play away at all times (Banner).
The Jacoby Brissett trade
Status: Reported
Schefter and Rapoport reported Wednesday that the Cardinals are finalizing a trade of quarterback Jacoby Brissett to Baltimore, expected to be completed this weekend. Schefter said it won’t be done in time for tonight’s game.
Terms haven’t been reported. Brissett was benched by Arizona on Sunday. He has 1,719 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, per Yardbarker.
Our take: the trade doesn’t make tonight less important. It tells you the front office won’t bet the season on one rookie, so Fagnano is auditioning for a job he may not keep.
What Baltimore faces: the Jaguars
Jacksonville is 5-2 after a 42-7 win over Indianapolis. Trevor Lawrence has 17 touchdown passes and four interceptions, per CBS Sports. Baltimore will have kicker Jake Moody tonight after Loop went on injured reserve Tuesday.
Ravens schedule: what’s next
- Tonight: vs. Jacksonville, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video.
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: NFL trade deadline.
- Monday, Nov. 16: vs. the Chargers, 8:15 p.m. ET.
- Sunday, Nov. 22: at Carolina.
Lamar Jackson Ravens playoffs news: can the season survive?
At 4-4, a win tonight would put Baltimore at 5-4. A loss would make it four straight. By our count, Jackson’s four games on injured reserve would carry past the Nov. 29 game at Houston, so Dec. 13 against Tampa Bay would be the earliest he could return.
Our prediction: Fagnano and the Ravens find a way, if Ioane helps the line and Doyle calls a full game. This is a prediction, not a certainty. The Jaguars are the better team on paper, and a short week gives a rookie little time to adjust.
Lamar Jackson Ravens playoffs news FAQ
What is the latest Lamar Jackson Ravens playoffs news? Jackson is headed to injured reserve for at least four games, Huntley is reportedly out for the season, and the Ravens are reportedly finalizing a trade for Jacoby Brissett. Baltimore is 4-4.
Who is starting at quarterback for the Ravens tonight? Joe Fagnano, an undrafted rookie from UConn, will make his first NFL start.
Is Vega Ioane playing tonight? He has no injury designation after full practices Tuesday and Wednesday, so he’s expected to start at right guard.
What time and channel is Ravens vs. Jaguars? Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET tonight on Prime Video at M&T Bank Stadium.
Are the Ravens trading for Jacoby Brissett? Schefter and Rapoport reported the Cardinals are finalizing a deal, expected this weekend. It won’t be done in time for tonight.
Bottom line
The latest Lamar Jackson Ravens playoffs news says the season is still alive but fragile. Fagnano, Ioane and Doyle all have something to prove tonight. Can Fagnano pull this off, and are you still believing in the season or are you done? Tell us in the comments.
