The Jacksonville Jaguars will try to secure their fifth victory in six games when they visit the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, with Jacksonville installed as a 10-point road favorite and the over/under set at 40 points.
The Jaguars enter the matchup with momentum after a resounding 42-7 win over Indianapolis, while Baltimore has lost three consecutive games and is expected to turn to third-string quarterback Joe Fagnano. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson is sidelined with a thumb injury, and backup Tyler Huntley is out with a toe injury.
Jacksonville (5-2) is the only team in the NFL leading its division by at least three games entering Week 9, with second-place Houston sitting at 2-5 in the AFC South. The Jaguars are 14-3 over their last 17 games, and running back Bhayshul Tuten became the franchise's first player since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2007 to record 100-plus rushing yards, 50-plus receiving yards and two-plus touchdowns in a single game.
The Jaguars have also won consecutive Thursday Night Football appearances, most recently against the Saints in 2023. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence leads the NFL in passer rating this season, and his seven touchdown passes are the most through seven games of a season in team history.
Baltimore's situation is far bleaker. Fagnano is expected to start after making his NFL debut in last week's loss to Buffalo, and the Ravens have dropped three straight after opening the year 4-1. They will be 10-point home underdogs on Thursday night.
Even so, SportsLine's experts see value on the home side against the spread. Expert Jeff Hochman noted that Jacksonville's run defense ranks last in Run-Stop-Win Rate, that nose tackle Davon Hamilton is out, and that starting edge rusher Travon Walker is playing through an injury. He expects offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to use a simplified, heavy-personnel game plan built around Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews and quick screens to Zay Flowers.
Hochman also pointed out that Jacksonville's offensive surge, including the Week 8 rout of the Colts, has been fueled by short fields and defensive takeaways, and that Lawrence's passer rating has been far worse on the road than at home since 2024, sitting at 89.9 versus 120.6 this season. With this being Jacksonville's first road game in a month on a short week, his advice is to take the points with Baltimore.
SportsLine expert R.J. White, meanwhile, likes Justice Hill to go over 11.5 receiving yards. Hill drew eight targets last week with Fagnano attempting 21 of the team's 25 passes, finishing with 20 yards in a game where Baltimore managed only 91 passing yards total.
White added that Hill had 26 yards on three catches against the Bengals the previous week, a game the Ravens lost by 22, and that it marked his fifth straight game with at least three targets. With more checkdowns likely coming his way, White believes Hill has a strong chance to reach 20 receiving yards for a third consecutive game.
