Washington (United States) (AFP) – Trevor Lawrence guided the Jacksonville Jaguars to a straightforward 33-10 victory Thursday over a desperate Baltimore Ravens team forced to rely on its ailing third-string quarterback. Lawrence threw for 242 yards and a touchdown pass to Parker Washington, with Bhayshul Tuten running for a touchdown on the game’s first drive and fellow Jaguars back Chris Rodriguez Jr. sealing victory on a dismal rainy night for Baltimore fans.
Deprived of their talismanic quarterback Lamar Jackson and his backup Tyler Huntley due to injuries, Baltimore handed a first NFL start to undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, who played with enormous heavy strapping on his own injured ankle throughout. Fagnano battled gamely, but there was little he could do to prevent the slick Jaguars from moving to 6-2. Having now won 14 of their last 16 regular-season games, Jacksonville’s latest win further burnished their credentials as dark horses in the race for the NFL championship.
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“We’ve come together, I think we’ve got a great group that’s all on the same page. We all think similarly. A bunch of hard workers,” said Lawrence. “Everybody’s gelling…You’re seeing it come to life.” The closing stages of a fourth straight loss for the Ravens — who sank to 4-5 — played out in front of emptying stands at the M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore are already pinning their slim hopes of a playoff run on the expected arrival this weekend of veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Lawrence began the night driving the Jaguars swiftly into the red zone with a 52-yard pass to rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher, before Tuten dashed across the line. The Ravens offense tried every trick in the book to protect their novice quarterback, with star running back Derrick Henry taking multiple direct snaps in wildcat formation. It yielded little, though Henry did move into 7th place in all-time NFL rushing yards, surpassing LaDainian Tomlinson.
In the second quarter, Lawrence sprang back to life with two superb passes, the first finding tight end Brenton Strange for a first down, before the second sent Washington 50 yards into the end zone. After a series of field goals, Rodriguez ran in a touchdown from a direct snap to make it 33-3. Baltimore’s Justice Hill sprinted for a 65-yard touchdown to restore some pride with a late score.
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