About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you simply assumed the first-place Jacksonville Jaguars would remain on cruise control and treat the Baltimore Ravens and their third-string rookie quarterback like the most minor speed bump to kick off Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season – well, yep, nailed it.
The AFC South-leading Jags barely broke a sweat on a wet Baltimore night, spanking the Ravens and fill-in QB Joe Fagnano 33-10 on the Nov. 5 edition of "Thursday Night Football."
It was not the kind of matchup that was especially revelatory on any front, but let's do our best to identify winners and losers beyond two teams decidedly trending in opposite directions:
After winning its division with a 13-4 record last year, Jacksonville seems on a very similar course in 2026 – especially so given the Jags are armed with the league's easiest remaining schedule and unlikely to face a challenge from any of their disintegrating AFC South foes down the stretch. Stay relatively healthy the rest of the way – maybe even add a body or two ahead of the trade deadline – and this could very well be a No. 1 playoff seed.
Kicking for his fourth NFL team in four seasons, the 2023 third-round pick (by the San Francisco 49ers) banged through a 53-yard field goal for Baltimore on a rainy night as he fills in for Tyler Loop … and perhaps makes a bid to replace him. (Work with me, it was that kind of game.)
Jacksonville's kicker made all four of his field-goal tries in the somewhat inclement weather and was 3-for-3 on PATs, furthering his case as the league's best at his position.
Props to a guy who's undrafted – out of UConn no less – but makes a 53-man roster out of training camp and perseveres long enough to start an NFL game. How many people can say that?
Zay Flowers #4 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) Joe Fagnano #12 of the Baltimore Ravens points prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) Zay Flowers #4 of the Baltimore Ravens smiles prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) Joe Fagnano #12 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Scott Taetsch, Getty Images) 1 / 4 NFL Week 9 reactions after wins, big moments and breakout performances Zay Flowers #4 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) 1 / 4 NFL Week 9 reactions after wins, big moments and breakout performances Zay Flowers #4 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) 2 / 4 NFL Week 9 reactions after wins, big moments and breakout performances Joe Fagnano #12 of the Baltimore Ravens points prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) 3 / 4 NFL Week 9 reactions after wins, big moments and breakout performances Zay Flowers #4 of the Baltimore Ravens smiles prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) 4 / 4 NFL Week 9 reactions after wins, big moments and breakout performances Joe Fagnano #12 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium on November 05, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Scott Taetsch, Getty Images) LOSERS Joe Fagnano But though Fagnano wears No. 12, he's no Tom Brady – and most certainly won't relegate Lamar Jackson to a Drew Bledsoe fate. In his first – only? – pro start, Fagnano passed for 60 yards and two interceptions. But good news, y'all, the Ravens are back in prime time for Week 10.
Good luck whipping up interest around another non-flexible matchup when the about-to-be-acquired Jacoby Brissett will almost certainly be starting for the Ravens against the almost certainly winless Los Angeles Chargers on "Monday Night Football" on Nov. 16.
They also had no opportunity to flex out of a bad matchup on a wet evening, leaving us with riveting television like Kirk Herbstreit asking Al Michaels, "What do you think of (Jaguars HC) Liam Coen?" Or Herbstreit proving he'd heard of Fred Taylor, Mark Brunell and Jimmy Smith. Or Michaels making one of his lightly veiled references to the over/under.
Very modest numbers (242 yards and a TD through the humid air) – but there was absolutely no reason for Coen to be in his bag on a night when the Jags didn't need to dig deep for a win … unless he wanted to inflate T-Law's numbers a bit given he's likely to be a league MVP finalist in a couple months.
Jacksonville's two-way "star" had one catch for -1 yard and fumbled.
Hunter had that kind of production, but the 2024 first-rounder didn't even draw a target – at a time when the Jags should at least be trying to showcase him a bit ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.
Gonna be an interesting few months for the Ravens GM. By opting to acquire Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals, he's sent a clear signal that a team that's now 4-5 and falling deeper in the AFC North basement is unwilling to give up on a season that probably effectively ended when Jackson injured his thumb in Buffalo last week. Should DeCosta rethink his position? Might he be better served to deal a player like RB Derrick Henry given the untenable state of Baltimore's 2027 salary cap – nearly $46 million overspent, per Over The Cap, with Jackson accounting for $84.3 million of it himself in terms of a cap charge. And if Jackson won't agree to a long-term extension next year, DeCosta must deal with a whole other suite of personnel issues.
Nov 5, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Fagnano (12) loses possession of the ball in the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ravens season slipping away as Jaguars cruise on rainy night: TNF winners, losers
Source: Sports
