Four Downs: Ravens Can’t Take Jags Lightly

The Baltimore Ravens play the Jacksonville Jaguars next. The Ravens are on a four-game winning streak, though the 13-3 win against the Panthers in Week 11 was a bit underwhelming. There is a lot to talk about here.

We have four downs.

Let’s go for it.

1st Down: Another week, another 3-win team

On paper, the Ravens should wreck the Jaguars. They’re 3-7 and their three wins have come against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos, and the dumpster fire that is the Las Vegas Raiders. At this point in the season, it’s hard to call any of these victories a signature win. The Jaguars give up 357.7 yards per contest. A lot leads one to think Baltimore should get the job done. This should be a comfortable win, right?

We thought that going into the game against the Panthers. Admit it, you didn’t have 13-3 as the way that game was going to shake out. The Jaguars quietly have a high-octane offense. Their run game is the seventh-best in the league. Former Clemson star Travis Etienne averages 5.5 yards per carry. Newly-acquired Darrell Henderson averages 4.0 yards per carry, and you can’t overlook the quarterback in the run game as Trevor Lawrence picks up 4.8 yards per rushing attempt. Many pundits thought the Jaguars overpaid Christian Kirk in free agency, but the star receiver has seven touchdowns on the year.

The Jaguars aren’t a team that gets blown out every week. They’re not as much of a bottom-feeding team as you probably perceive them to be. This is a tough game on the road, against a team that is competitive in just about every game. The Ravens were not smooth operators against the Carolina Panthers. Underwhelming offensive results and taking this team lightly is a great formula for a costly loss.

Greg Roman, Lamar Jackson and company have to bring a better performance in this contest.

2nd Down: The offense has an identity, now it needs some personality

The Ravens are running the football and playing with heavy sets. In their four-game winning streak, they’ve stayed true to their identity. It’s a good thing that they know what they want to do. Now they need to add some pizazz.

The Ravens offense was dreadfully boring to watch against the Panthers. Although they were actually fairly efficient, they simply had too many drives lead to nothing.

The Ravens need to open up the offense. They need to get Devin Duvernay involved, and they must throw the ball down the field. The offensive line has been impressive this season, even if last week was a clunky performance for the starting five. The running game will be fine if Roman spreads it out a bit. In fact, it may be better because the defense will take some big guys out of the box. Your identity isn’t going anywhere. Throw the football, utilize your speedy players like Demarcus Robinson and Duvernay, and shoot for more than three yards and a cloud of dust.

The Ravens can’t afford to have another stale game. The Jaguars can make them pay for that. They should spread it out and inject some fun into this offense for the playoff push.

3rd Down: Andrews is due for a big game

Because he’s been dealing with an injury, Mark Andrews hasn’t had a huge game for a hot minute. His last monster game was against the Giants when he had seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. The loss to the Giants feels like it was forever ago. Andrews is going to have a huge day sooner or later. Why not make it the Jacksonville game?

Andrews started to heat up against the Panthers. He had six grabs in the game and didn’t look overly hampered by any nagging injury. Jackson has always leaned on Andrews, and he could use his favorite target to heat his game up like Turkey Day leftovers.

Look for a big game by the stud tight end.

4th Down: No trust issues for the defense

The Ravens have an opponent that’s sneakily talented, we’ve been over that already. They have to take the Jaguars seriously, yet this should be a great day for the defense. The Ravens defense figured a lot out before the Roquan Smith trade. The trade for Smith made a good defense into a championship-caliber one.

The Ravens give up just 19.9 points per game. Their opponents have a third down conversion percentage of 32.9. Marlon Humphrey is on his way to an All-Pro season, while Justin Houston has nine sacks. The proof is in the results. You can count on the Ravens’ defense.

It’s a race to 20 points. It’s a safe bet that the Jaguars aren’t going to get over 20 points on this defense. If the offense shows up this game won’t be close. Either way Mike MacDonald’s crew will do their job.

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