Trevor Lawrence threw for 242 yards and a touchdown as the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Baltimore Ravens 33-10 on a rainy Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
The win moved the Jaguars to 6-2 and gave the team a fifth win in six games. Baltimore fell to 4-5 with a fourth straight loss, dropping below .500 for the first time this season after a 4-1 start.
Lawrence completed 16 of 26 passes without a turnover and spread the ball to nine receivers. His 50-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington with 58 seconds left in the first half made it 17-3, and Cam Little kicked four field goals for the Jaguars.
Baltimore started rookie Joe Fagnano at quarterback, the first start of his NFL career. Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley are both on injured reserve, Jackson with a right thumb injury and Huntley with a right toe injury, and Fagnano finished 10 of 18 for 60 yards with two interceptions.
The Ravens now await the arrival of Jacoby Brissett as they try to steady a season that has slipped away in the space of a month. With their top two quarterbacks out, Baltimore had no passing game to fall back on, and Jacksonville took full advantage.
Jaguars defence sets the tone in the rain
The Jaguars held Baltimore to 227 total yards and forced three turnovers. Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis had interceptions, and Jalen McLeod recovered a fumble, as the Ravens stayed out of the end zone until the final minutes.
The rain made throwing hard, and Baltimore leaned on the run. The Ravens ran four more plays than the Jaguars in the first half but were outgained 224-101, and the gap only grew after halftime.
Lawrence had 197 passing yards on nine completions by halftime, and six of those completions went for at least 15 yards. He also connected on a 52-yard throw to Nate Boerkircher, and his tight-window pass to Brenton Strange for a first down came between three Baltimore defenders.
Jacksonville did not need anything unusual to win. The defence kept Baltimore pinned back, the kicking game added points on four trips, and Lawrence avoided the mistakes that have cost Jacksonville in past seasons.
Jaguars take control of the AFC South
The Jaguars now hold a three-and-a-half game lead in the AFC South. They have won five of their last six games, and the latest win came on a short week, four days after they beat Indianapolis in Week 8.
Lawrence has thrown 17 touchdowns against four interceptions this season, with eight touchdowns and one interception in his last three games. He has not thrown more than one interception in a game in his last eight outings, and Thursday was another clean night for the Jacksonville attack.
Bhayshul Tuten scored on the ground for the Jaguars, and Jakobi Meyers caught four passes for 65 yards. Lawrence involved nine different receivers in the game, and three of them finished with more than 60 yards.
The Jaguars have kept rolling since the early weeks of the season, and the latest win came against a side that had no answer for them in any phase. Jacksonville led from early on and never let Baltimore back into the game.
Ravens slide reaches a new low
Baltimore has now lost three straight games by 20 points or more for the first time in the 31-year history of the franchise. The Ravens have been outscored 84-10 in the second half during the four-game slide, and the offence has stalled without Jackson.
Justice Hill gave Baltimore its only touchdown with a 65-yard run in the fourth quarter, long after the result was settled. The run kept the margin from growing wider, but it did not change the shape of the night.
Fagnano struggled in his first start, which was no surprise given the short week and the weather. He threw for only 60 yards, and the two interceptions ended drives before Baltimore could build any rhythm.
Jacksonville will take the win into the rest of their Week 9 break, with the AFC South lead in hand and a defence that has just produced its best performance of the season. Baltimore has to find answers at quarterback before the slide does more damage to its season.