Ravens vs. Jaguars Week 10: Behind Enemy Lines

Studying your opponent is a very necessary key to any victory. You watch film, look at stats, record trends, and plan accordingly. If you don’t know your competition, you won’t know how to play them, much less defeat them.

Okay, so maybe none of us are suiting up or drawing up the playbook for this week’s match up between the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium. But it surely doesn’t mean we can’t do our own fan perspective scouting. These are two different teams than the two that played back in December 2014.

(Speaking of that game, this hit by Jernigan looks like it hurt, badly….)

Dec 14, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (97) hits Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore Ravens defeated Jacksonville Jaguars 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

So this week I had a chance to connect with Daniel Lago, editor of the Fansided site Black and Teal for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars of 2015 are looking a lot better than the Jaguars of 2014, when the Ravens defeated them 20-12. Daniel takes a moment to tell us what’s different and why there’s hope for the Jags, even in the midst of a struggling season.

Despite the recent struggles, the Ravens are preparing to face a much improved Jaguars team than the one they faced last December, which resulted in a 20-12 win for the Ravens. What areas have the Jaguars improved in the most over the offseason and into week 10 of this season?

Last year, the Ravens faced a Jaguars squad headlined by an underwhelming crop of players, namely Toby Gerhart, Cecil Shorts, and rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. The Jaguars are now significantly improved in all 3 of those areas, most importantly at the quarterback position.

In year 2, Bortles has started flashing more wow plays and moving the Jacksonville offense enough to keep them in most games. He’s helped out by arguably the most productive wide receiver duo in the NFL with Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, and rookie running back T.J. Yeldon is already playing like a top 10 NFL running back. 

The Ravens were able to beat the Jaguars last season with 20 points, but that probably won’t cut it this year.

Blake Bortles is showing signs of improvement, sitting at a QBR of 83.2 on the season and he’s currently rankek 9th in passing yards. What should the Ravens defense be most concerned with regarding Bortles? 

Bortles has thrived throwing the ball down the field and his 39 completions of 20+ yards is 2nd in the NFL behind only Drew Brees. The Ravens need to focus on keeping Bortles contained in the pocket since he excels at extending plays with his legs and finding open receivers down the field. 

Former Ravens Bernard Pierce is now a Jacksonville Jaguar. However, he currently sits on the Jaguars roster as the 4th option behind Robinson, Yeldon, and Gerhart. Would you consider this a disappointment or has he just not had the right opportunity?

I certainly don’t consider him a disappointment but that’s entirely because I had no expectations for him coming into the season. I honestly didn’t even think he was going to make the roster, but he managed to beat out Storm Johnson. I’d be shocked if Pierce sees any playing time the rest of the year, barring some injury to T.J. Yeldon. He doesn’t provide much as a third down back, so his role is pretty limited.

The Jags are ranked 16th in total yards on offense. The Ravens are ranked 24th in total yards allowed on defense. It’s no secret that the Ravens weakness is the secondary. Who’s the secret weapon that the Ravens need to plan for if they want to walk away with a victory?

Allen Robinson gets most of the headlines, but Allen Hurns is the best receiver on the Jaguars right now. The two are very close in production, but Hurns has put up his numbers with significantly less targets. Already one of the best route-runners in the league, Hurns gets the benefit of facing most teams’ number 2 cornerbacks and he manages to make them look silly on a consistent basis. The Ravens should certainly gameplan for Robinson because of his size and ability to win jump balls, but they can’t ignore Hurns on the other side of the field. 

5. It was reported that Andrew Luck is now out for about 6 weeks with an abdomen injury. With Matt Hasselback taking over quarterback duties now, is this a prime opportunity for the 2-6 Jacksonville Jaguars to make a legitimate run at the AFC South title only being 1.5 game behind the Colts as of week 10?

I sure hope so, but the Jaguars have made a habit of losing winnable games this year. They would have won their first game against the Colts this season if not for a pair of missed field goals, and they self-destructed in the 4th quarter against the Texans, Bucs, and Jets. With all those squandered opportunities to take control of the division already, it’s hard to envision the Jaguars stringing together the wins needed to take the AFC South. 

Next: The Jaguars are no longer pushovers

Interesting perspective. There’s a lot of promise and hope for the Jaguars in the AFC South. However, that hope will have to be postponed until next week. As for week 10 Ravens vs. Jaguars, Carlos predicts:

Jacksonville Jaguars     23

Baltimore Ravens    27