The Baltimore Ravens don’t have any time to dwell on Sunday’s loss. They have to turn around and focus on their Week 9 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. And all eyes will likely be on…Joe Fagnano.
It wasn’t just a disheartening defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills; the Ravens lost Lamar Jackson to a thumb injury on the first play of Week 8. After the game, it was revealed that Jackson will head to IR and miss at least four games.
The injury bug wasn’t done taking bites either. Tyler Huntley also left the game in the first half with a toe injury, and Adam Schefter reported it’s feared to be turf toe. The severity is unknown for now, although it can keep a player out anywhere from a couple of days to multiple months.
With another game in four days, the undrafted rookie Fagnano is in a difficult position. The QB3 goes from getting very few reps all year to becoming the QB1 for a team that must start playing with a real sense of urgency.
Ready or not, the Ravens need Fagnano to handle the heat.
Baltimore Ravens' Week 8 QB disaster puts Joe Fagnano in the spotlight
Week 8 was simply a quarterback disaster. The Baltimore Ravens had all three quarterbacks attempt a pass in the first half, making them the first team since the 2017 Dallas Cowboys to accomplish such an ugly feat.
Joe Fagnano even had an injury scare, as he was seen icing his right ankle in the second half. Thankfully, he finished the game, and he sounds ready to play again if needed.
“Yeah, I think [I’m healthy enough to play Thursday],” Fagnano said. “After a football game, you’re always going to have bumps and bruises. We’ll see.”
The Ravens will desperately need Fagnano to be at his best. Lamar Jackson is on IR, Tyler Huntley’s status is uncertain, and with their next game on Thursday, the Ravens probably won’t sign someone off the street to start in Week 8. Sure, they’ll need an extra body, but whoever it is probably won’t have enough time to catch up and be the starter.
In his postgame press conference, Jesse Minter spoke about what that plan could look like heading into Week 9 amid all the questions.
“We’ll have to see what Snoop’s status is, and make sure Joe made it through the game okay,” Minter said. “We’ll figure [the QB situation] out over the next 24 hours.”
Fagnano becomes as crucial as ever. He’s gone from a developmental arm to the potential QB1 against the Jaguars. And it's a sticky situation — he's had minimal first-team reps, and now may have to start a game in a few days.
Fagnano showed promise in the preseason, so much so that Baltimore gave him a spot as the third quarterback on the 53-man roster. To be honest, he had good moments in his NFL debut, too. While the offensive line was awful and Fagnano never stood much of a chance, he made some encouraging throws.
The UConn product started 2-for-2, quickly pushing the offense into scoring position. Later, he completed a spectacular pass to Rashod Bateman for 22 yards, where he was drilled on an illegal hit by Ed Oliver.
10-of-21 for 91 yards, an interception, and a fumble is an ugly stat line. However, there’s some hope that with more reps, Fagnano can lead a somewhat competent offense.
Jesse Minter was also relatively happy with Fagnano’s performance given the circumstances.
“To [Joe’s] credit, not really getting a lot of reps and preparation, hung in there and did some good stuff,” Minter said. “You go in there, after mimicking Josh Allen all week on the scout team, but he’s really engaged in the meetings, he pays attention, [he was] just ready to really execute some of the plays.”
It’s not a fun spot to be in, though. Fagnano gets just three days to get into a rhythm; it’s nothing like a full week of practice. It’s a stretch of film review, game planning, and walk-throughs.
That might help Fagnano prepare mentally, but his connection with his teammates probably won’t be ironed out by Thursday night. It was obvious he wasn't on the same page with his receivers on Sunday, and this week won’t give him ample time to build that timing and chemistry.
Regardless of how it plays out, there’s a ton of pressure on Fagnano’s shoulders right now. Signs point toward him being thrown back into the fire in a short week.
Add us as a preferred source on Google