BALTIMORE RAVENS @ JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 
Vegas Line: Jaguars + 7
Rob’s Line: Jaguars + 6.5
Heading into this Monday Night Football showdown against the best defense in the NFL, Jacksonville doesn’t really have anything about them that will strike fear into a Baltimore Ravens team looking to stay one game ahead of the Steelers in the AFC North. That one game advantage they currently hold over their most hated rival is increasingly significant because in just two weeks time, they travel to Pittsburgh for a Sunday night primetime showdown that’ll have America’s football watchers transfixed.
Just like the Ravens team of 2000 (who won Super Bowl XXXV that season), defense is taking all the plaudits while the quarterback is doing just enough to keep that winning record ticking over. Joe Flacco is hardly pulling up trees behind center with a 51.4 completion percentage and seven touchdowns and four interceptions through five games, but he has a solid supporting cast, led by running back Ray Rice, averaging 80 yards per game on the ground and who’s second on the team in receiving yards with 302.
Aside from Rice, Flacco has some nice targets in Anquan Boldin, rookie Torrey Smith and tight end Ed Dickson and this is without mentioning Lee Evans, who’s been out injured for a few weeks now and will also miss this one. The Ravens would like him back as soon as possible, even if just to prevent cornerbacks from ganging up on Boldin. However, it’s that fearsome defense doing all the damage as Jets QB Mark Sanchez will certainly be able to testify.
Ranking third in defending the run and seventh in pass defense, this game and next week’s visit of Arizona doesn’t appear to threaten their status of being ranked number one overall…before that visit to Pittsburgh. The Jaguars are ranked last offensively in passing yards and this will have Ray Lewis, Lardarius Webb, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs salivating at the prospect of seeing Blaine Gabbert with the ball in his hands.
Gabbert has, somewhat unsurprisingly, struggled this season, but his four touchdowns to two interceptions ratio is commendable and shows that he’s not trying to force anything in what is a steep learning curve in the pro ranks. Fortunately for him though, he does have big help at running back in the form of Maurice Jones-Drew, who has 572 yards so far this season and Gabbert needs him to stay healthy for the rest of the year.
The Jaguars ran Pittsburgh close last week despite allowing Rashard Mendenhall to rush for 146 yards, but the Steelers barely seemed to try in the second half, which is staggering and the suspicion remains to me that they need to be ultra motivated in order to play their best football. Baltimore seem to have no such issues and with this game going nationwide they’re able to showcase their D and all this against a rookie QB.
I’m looking forward to this one and not just because it’s the first opportunity I’ve had all season to watch the Ravens. I always enjoy watching a rookie quarterback, particularly on a Monday night and this will be Gabbert’s stiffest test of the season and one from which he’ll learn a lot, which can only be good for him.
It’s not difficult to predict a Baltimore victory and I do see them remaining clear of Pittsburgh after this one. I also see them winning by a touchdown and covering the spread.
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