Baltimore’s quarterback depth collapsed in the span of one week, turning Thursday night’s game against Jacksonville from a near pick’em into one of the widest spreads on the NFL schedule.
The Ravens opened as three-point favorites over the Jaguars before Lamar Jackson jammed his right thumb on Baltimore’s first offensive snap in a 36-10 loss at Buffalo on Sunday. Jackson has since had surgery and been placed on injured reserve. Backup Tyler Huntley suffered a turf toe injury that is reportedly season-ending, and third-stringer Skylar Thompson was already on injured reserve. That leaves undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, who is also playing through an ankle injury, to make his first career start.
The betting line has swung accordingly, moving from Baltimore -3 to Jacksonville -9.5, with some oddsmakers expecting it to reach double digits before kickoff.
Jacksonville enters at 5-2, leading the AFC South with the NFL’s best point differential at plus-85. The Jaguars are coming off a 42-7 rout of Indianapolis, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence has thrown 17 touchdowns against four interceptions this season.
Baltimore was already struggling before Jackson’s injury, having lost three straight games and gone 0-3 against the spread at home this season. Historically, the Ravens are 7-13 in games Jackson has missed. In relief duty against Buffalo, Fagnano threw for 91 yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble — a rough preview for a player now set to start on three days of practice against one of the league’s hottest teams.
Thursday’s game kicks off Week 9 of the NFL season.
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