With the Ravens aiming to match their season-high three-game winning streak against Jacksonville on Sunday, below are a dozen thoughts and a prediction, each in 50 words or less:
1. You’re not going to make a convincing argument for a 1-12 team pulling off an upset against a playoff contender, but the Jaguars have lost seven games by a single score. Just ask fellow contenders Green Bay, Cleveland, and Indianapolis if the Ravens should take Jacksonville seriously.
2. With Las Vegas falling further out of playoff contention Thursday, it really comes down to the Ravens winning out and needing a single loss from Cleveland, Indianapolis, or Miami in these final three weeks to qualify for a spot. Other scenarios exist, but it doesn’t get simpler than that.
3. How special has the ground attack been over these last two games? The combined 525 rushing yards are the Ravens’ most in back-to-back contests since they ran for a combined 541 against Houston and the Los Angeles Rams last season. A good running game is veering back into special territory.
4. Unless you were lucky enough to find him on the fantasy waiver wire, you’re forgiven if you haven’t heard of Jaguars undrafted rookie James Robinson, who ranks third in the NFL in rushing. Jacksonville ranks eighth in yards per carry (4.7), another reason for Baltimore to start fast.
5. As of Friday, Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, and James Proche remained on track to be activated from the reserve-COVID-19 list in time to play against Jacksonville. Still, their absence from practice is hardly ideal for Lamar Jackson and a passing game still trying to find its way down the stretch.
6. In addition to that, Football Outsiders ranks the Jaguars seventh in defensive efficiency on passes over the middle. Of course, that’s the area of the field where Jackson operates best as a passer. That shouldn’t matter if the Ravens handle their business against the league’s 30th-ranked run defense.
7. It was interesting to hear some Ravens compare Baker Mayfield and Gardner Minshew, who’s making his first start since late October. Jacksonville’s weapons in the passing game don’t scare you, but Minshew has an ability to heat up that reminds you of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Or maybe it’s the facial hair?
8. Though Jackson’s muscle cramping was part of one of the most memorable games in franchise history, you hope Baltimore has a handle on the cause and how to prevent it from reoccurring. Cramping in cold weather isn’t terribly common, and you can’t have your quarterback missing almost a full quarter.
9. With Jimmy Smith out, Marcus Peters missing the entire practice week, Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe at less than 100 percent, and three other cornerbacks listed as questionable, the Ravens face difficult game-day roster decisions on defense. Does veteran running back Mark Ingram become a healthy scratch as a result?
10. Yannick Ngakoue gave the meeting with Jacksonville the “just another game” treatment publicly, but Minshew said the ex-Jaguar is “going to be out for blood” Sunday. Even after the most harmonious departures, I don’t believe for a second that competing against a former team doesn’t mean more to a player.
11. These teams last met in 2017, an embarrassing 44-7 loss for the Ravens in London. It’s crazy to think how much has changed as the Jaguars were four months away from going to the AFC Championship and have since blown up their roster. Meanwhile, Baltimore drafted Jackson seven months later.
12. Jacksonville won the first eight meetings between these old AFC Central rivals before Sept. 10, 2000, the day everything changed for a franchise stuck somewhere between being the old Browns and the new Baltimore Colts. I enjoyed reflecting on that special day this summer. If you lived it, you know.
Prediction: Their woeful record doesn’t reflect the Jaguars’ willingness to play hard and effectively run the ball, but the Ravens are more talented and should flatten a woeful run defense. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Jacksonville hang around for a bit before the Ravens pull away for a 31-13 win.
