BALTIMORE (10-3) at JACKSONVILLE (8-5)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC
OPENING LINE: Ravens by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Baltimore 8-5; Jacksonville 8-5.
SERIES RECORD: Jaguars lead 13-10.
LAST MEETING: Jaguars beat Ravens 28-27 on Nov. 27, 2022, in Jacksonville.
LAST WEEK: Ravens beat Rams 37-31 in OT; Jaguars lost at Browns 31-27.
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (1), PASS (19), SCORING (4).
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (12), PASS (4), SCORING (2).
JAGUARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (24), PASS (9), SCORING (9).
JAGUARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (4), PASS (31), SCORING (T20).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Ravens plus-4; Jaguars plus-2.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: DT Justin Madubuike has at least a half-sack in 10 consecutive games, one shy of the NFL record held by Jared Allen, Chris Jones, Trey Hendrickson and Shaun Ellis. Madubuike has 11 sacks on the season, and Baltimore has a league-high 49.
JAGUARS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Evan Engram has 20 receptions for 177 yards and three touchdowns in Jacksonville’s past two games. He’s clearly become Trevor Lawrence’s go-to guy amid the absence of WR Christian Kirk, who had surgery to repair a core muscle injury last week. Engram most recently scored in three consecutive games as rookie with the New York Giants in 2017.
KEY MATCHUP: Ravens WR Zay Flowers versus Jaguars CB Darious Williams. Flowers has scored three times in Baltimore’s past two games and surely will be a focus for a defense that has given up six lengthy scoring plays in its past three losses. Williams, who ranks second in the NFL with 19 pass defenses this season, will end up covering Flowers early and often.
KEY INJURIES: Ravens S Kyle Hamilton (knee) was hurt against the Rams and was limited in practice this week. WR Devin Duvernay (back) also went down in that game, but Tylan Wallace replaced him on punt returns and ran one back 76 yards for a score in overtime. TE Mark Andrews (ankle) went on injured reserve last month. … The Jaguars could be without two secondary starters. CB Tyson Campbell (quadriceps) and S Andre Cisco (shoulder/groin) missed practice Wednesday. LT Walker Little (knee) and WR/PR Jamal Agnew (shoulder) are expected back this week.
SERIES NOTES: The teams have alternated wins and losses since 2003, a 10-game back-and-forth that, if the trend continues, would mean the Ravens are due to win this matchup. … Jacksonville won the first eight meetings between 1996 and ’99 while both were members of the AFC Central. … The Jaguars rallied from a 19-10 deficit in the fourth quarter to win last season’s game in Jacksonville.
STATS AND STUFF: Baltimore will know before the game whether it can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. The Ravens have nine scenarios that would get them in. … This is the first of three straight games for the Ravens against current division leaders. They face San Francisco and Miami after the Jaguars. … Baltimore has a sack in 34 straight games and at least two sacks in 11 in a row. Those are the longest active streaks in the league. … The Ravens have 22 rushing TDs, two shy of their franchise record. … Baltimore has rushed for at least 100 yards in 29 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest active streak. … The Ravens have allowed a league-low 19 TDs. … Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson is 14-4 as a starter in prime time. … Jackson has 252 completions this season and 2,934 yards passing. His career highs are 265 and 3,127, set during his MVP campaign of 2019. … Jacksonville has to win to keep alive hope of being the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the postseason. … The Jaguars are trying to avoid a three-game skid against the AFC North, having already dropped games to Cincinnati and Cleveland. … Lawrence has accounted for seven TDs — four passing, three rushing — and no interceptions in his past two home games. He also accounted for seven TDs — also four passing, three rushing — and no INTs in five prime-time starts. … RB Travis Etienne need a rushing TD to become the fourth player in franchise history with 10 or more in a season. … Engram tied his career high with 11 catches last week and had the second two-score game of his NFL career. … LB Josh Allen is tied for third in the NFL with 13 1/2 sacks.
FANTASY TIP: Ravens TE Isaiah Likely should start considering the Jaguars allowed Cleveland TE David Njoku to score twice last week.
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