The Baltimore win comes with a caveat. The Ravens started Joe Fagnano, a rookie making his first career start because Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley were both on injured reserve, and he finished with 60 passing yards and 2 interceptions in the rain. Jacksonville did its job: Bhayshul Tuten scored on the opening drive, Chris Rodriguez Jr. added a short touchdown run, and the defense never let Baltimore get going. Still, beating a third-string quarterback doesn't tell you much about how this team handles a quarterback who's playing well.
Ward is playing well right now, and Jacksonville's back end is thin. The Jaguars put safety Eric Murray (elbow) and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton (knee) on injured reserve this week, and safety Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig and corner Alijah Huzzie were both inactive at Baltimore. Losing Hamilton matters against Tony Pollard, who ran for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bengals. Jacksonville's defense also gave up a 65-yard touchdown run to Justice Hill late on Thursday, ending a 24-game streak without allowing a 75-yard rusher.
Tennessee's problem is still the defense. Joe Burrow threw for nearly 500 yards and 5 touchdowns on them, then ran in the winner in overtime, and that came on a day when Ward and the offense held up their end. Jaylon Jones is out at corner, and Marcus Harris (ankle) and James Williams Sr. (groin) were both ruled out during the Cincinnati game. Lawrence has been at his best when he only needs to complete about 15 passes, and a Titans secondary missing that many bodies is a good matchup for him.
The Jaguars are 4-1 in their last 5, and the only loss was a 34-31 shootout at home against Houston. The Titans are 1-4 over the same stretch, with a 26-20 win at Indianapolis as the only win and a 26-3 home loss to the Texans. One more thing to watch: Brian Thomas Jr. drew trade interest ahead of the November 10 deadline, so check who is actually suiting up at receiver for Jacksonville. Kickoff is 12:00 PM CT at Nissan Stadium.
