Behind Enemy Lines: Jaguars Will Show Fight Against Ravens

John Shipley, the publisher of Jaguars Report, previews the upcoming game against the Ravens.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Ravens (8-5) are heavy favorites against the Jaguars (1-12) in their Week 16 matchup at M&T Bank Stadium. 

John Shipley, the publisher of Jaguars Report, previewed the upcoming game.

1. It's been a tough year for the Jaguars. How competitive do you think they will play against the Ravens, especially if they fall behind early?

Shipley: The one thing that has more or less kept the Jaguars in games this season has been their effort and intensity. While they lack overall talent and experience in too many key spots, the Jaguars play hard from the first whistle to the last one, and as a result, they don't always look like a 1-12 team. With that said, the Jaguars just don't have the playmakers on the roster to hang with the Ravens if they get a big lead. They don't have an offense that is explosive enough to strike quick, nor do they have enough healthy bodies in the secondary or on the defensive line to give them a chance against the run or the pass.

2. How big of a void was losing Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue to the defense?

Shipley: The absence of Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue has been obvious on Jacksonville's defense. The Jaguars have just 16 sacks through 13 games and their leading sacker has just 4.5 sacks. They have dealt with injury issues, but even when they had the unit healthy they were struggling to get to the quarterback. Campbell and Ngakoue combined for over 50 sacks in their three seasons playing together in Jacksonville, so it was also going to be the case that the pass rush would fall off without them. Without the pair, the Jaguars have averaged 1.23 sacks a game in 2020. With them, the Jaguars recorded 2.9 sacks a game (2019), 2.3 sacks a game (2018), and 3.3 (2017). Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson have a lot of talent, but neither is the bonafide producer upfront that Ngakoue and Campbell were. As a result, the defense has suffered.

3. There have been a lot of comparisons of Gardner Minshew to Baker Mayfield, especially how well they execute the play-action pass. How do you think Minshew will handle the Ravens' pressure?

Shipley: Not very well. Gardner Minshew has a lot of positive traits, but playing against pressure certainly isn't one of them. His mobility helps him in the sense that he is never a sitting duck in the pocket like Mike Glennon, but it is also his biggest flaw at times. There have been countless instances where Minshew will get spooked by a pass rush and leave the pocket too early, and more complex defensive fronts have always given him trouble since he is slower to recognize where rushers are coming from. The Ravens simply just have the type of defense that can frustrate Minshew, whose skill set and surrounding cast won't make it very easy for him to put together a good game against the Ravens.

4. Did anyone expect the type of impact rookie running back James Robinson was going to have on the offense?

Shipley: Anyone who says they expected James Robinson to play at this level this early in his career just isn't being honest. The Jaguars had high hopes for Robinson after he had a terrific training camp, but his consistency in the middle of a 12-game losing streak and one of the NFL's worst quarterback situations has been remarkable. The Jaguars likely thought Robinson had this kind of potential, but it has been his week-to-week impact and presence that has been the most impressive. At this point, it appears the only thing that could really slow down Robinson is injury. He has played in every game this season but has been limited the last two weeks with a knee injury, something worth monitoring over these next few weeks.

5. What are your predictions for the game?

Shipley: No cornerbacks, trouble at quarterback, and a Ravens team that looks like they are surging — this game just looks like a disaster on the horizon for the Jaguars. I think they keep it close for maybe a quarter, but their defense has yet to show they can stop mobile quarterbacks and the offense has been abysmal in recent weeks. Overall, this makes me lean Ravens in a big way.

Ravens 34, Jaguars 15.