If the Week 8 loss to Buffalo raised red flags for Baltimore, Thursday’s 33-10 disaster against Jacksonville blew the house down. Box score scanners will jump on rookie starter Joe Fagnano’s two interceptions and zero touchdowns. But context matters: the UConn product was thrown into a torrential rainstorm with zero protection up front. The front five’s complete surrender didn’t just ruin Fagnano’s debut; it broke offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, whose viral tablet-smashing sideline meltdown told the real story of the night.

“Ravens offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford is not happy 😳,” NFL on ESPN shared the moment on X.

It was not immediately clear which specific play pushed Ledford over the edge in that moment, but given how Baltimore’s front five performed on Thursday night, it could have been any number of breakdowns.

Jacksonville entered the game 5-2, holding a three-game lead in the AFC South. The Ravens, at 4-4, were in a tougher spot. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson landed on injured reserve with a thumb injury, and backup Tyler Huntley reportedly suffered a season-ending toe injury last week. That left Fagnano to start. It did not go well. Fagnano finished 10 of 18 with two second-half interceptions, and the nightmare didn’t just end there.

The undrafted rookie struggled to find any semblance of rhythm through the air, taking a sack and averaging a dismal 2.9 yards per play while Jacksonville dictated the tempo all night in the pouring rain.

Yet Fagnano was hardly the only Raven left stranded. Star running back Derrick Henry couldn’t find a single running lane behind this struggling front unit. Henry was held to just 57 yards across four quarters, averaging a paltry 3.4 yards per carry. Across the line of scrimmage, Jacksonville completely dominated, racking up three tackles for loss. While Baltimore matched that TFL output on defense, the story of this Thursday Night Football showdown began and ended in the trenches.

The sideline meltdown was so intense that Prime Video announcer Kirk Herbstreit weighed in as the broadcast replayed Ledford’s outburst:

“He’s seen about enough,” Herbstreit observed. “They’ve had a lot of injuries. They’re on their fourth center. Just a frustrating night. … I’m sure they challenged them all week.”

It goes without saying that this Baltimore unit is holding the team back in major ways, and it’s the exact reason Lamar Jackson is on Injured Reserve. In Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills, Jackson returned from a three-game absence only for the right side of the line to collapse on his very first play. Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau blew past rookie tackle Roger Rosengarten, forcing instant pressure. As Jackson released the ball, his right hand collided violently with Rousseau’s arm on the follow-through, fracturing his thumb and sending him straight to surgery.

That night in Buffalo, the Ravens’ line surrendered a staggering 28 pressures. That level of breakdown is unsustainable. The unit has fallen into shambles, failing both to protect the pass and to generate push in the run game. As a result, Henry, for years the focal point and dominant force of this offense, looks pedestrian, raising real concerns about whether his days as an elite runner are behind him.

Meanwhile, the defense hasn’t pulled its weight either, having surrendered 30-plus points in three straight games and four times this season. Baltimore’s offense mustered just 227 total yards, with a microscopic 55 coming through the air. The lone highlight arrived when Justice Hill broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run, snapping Jacksonville’s 24-game streak without allowing a 75-yard run, but it was far too little.

The passing attack was non-existent. Baltimore completed 11 receptions on 16 targets for just 57 yards. Wideout Zay Flowers caught three of his six targets for a mere 6 yards, and no Baltimore receiver topped 19 yards on the night. Though the final stat sheet showed 172 rushing yards on 34 carries, the ground numbers were heavily inflated by Hill’s lone breakaway run.

The Jaguars built a commanding 20-3 lead by the end of the third quarter, while Baltimore mustered only a lone first-quarter field goal. Jacksonville added 13 more points in the final quarter, turning Hill’s late touchdown into a mere footnote in the 33-10 final. With the loss, Baltimore fell to 4-5 while Jacksonville surged to 6-2. With their season slipping away and the quarterback room completely decimated, Baltimore’s front office had no choice but to make an immediate move.

Ravens add QB help after injuries

The Ravens just made a move that says a lot about how they see their season. Even with things going sideways, they’re not ready to wave the white flag.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on X on Wednesday.

“Trade: the Arizona Cardinals are finalizing a trade to send QB Jacoby Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens. Deal is expected to be completed this weekend. The Ravens lost QB Lamar Jackson to a thumb injury, and his backup Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley to turf toe.”

Baltimore sits at 4-5, dead last in the AFC North. ESPN Analytics gives them a 6.4% shot at the playoffs and just 0.5% to win the division. With odds like that, general manager Eric DeCosta could have sold off starters for extra picks in what’s expected to be a loaded 2027 draft.

He chose to keep competing instead, especially if Jackson can return for the final four or five games.

Brissett isn’t a flashy fix. His record as a starter is 23 wins and 50 losses, the second worst among quarterbacks with at least 50 starts over the past decade. Only Justin Fields, at 16 wins and 37 losses, is lower. Arizona (3-5) benched him and moved him to third on the depth chart, which is why he was available.

Still, there’s a comfort factor. Ravens quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork worked with him in Arizona last year.

With 86 career touchdowns, Brissett gives first-year head coach Jesse Minter and playcaller Declan Doyle a steadier hand to get the offense moving again.