BALTIMORE | Former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue had two sacks, including a forced fumble, in the Baltimore Ravens’ 40-14 victory over his former team last Sunday.
Baltimore sacked starting quarterback Gardner Minshew five times.
“This is what they brought me here to do,” Ngakoue said. “They brought me here to come change the game, to be a critical part of the defense. That’s my job. That’s what I intend to do.”
Minshew completed 22-of-29 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions as the Jaguars have lost a franchise-record 13 consecutive games.
“I was talking to Yan during the game,” Minshew said. “He’s so competitive, as am I. I really tried to tune him out because he chirps a little bit, but I just know that’s how Yan is. (He’s) a guy that I have a ton of respect for, one of the great competitors in our league.”
Jacksonville scored late when the outcome was not in doubt.
Minshew completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back James Robinson with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter. A 13-yard TD pass from Minshew to wide receiver Chris Conley with 1:48 left cut the Ravens’ lead to 40-14.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson completed 17-of-22 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns with one interception — and rushed 10 times for 35 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens outgained the Jaguars, 409-267, and held the Jaguars to 61 first-half yards.
Matthew Judon set the tone on the Jaguars’ second offensive snap with a sack for a safety that staked Baltimore to an early 2-0 lead. Once the Jaguars fell behind early, Minshew was forced into obvious passing situations, which made Baltimore’s pass rush even more relentless.
“There’s obviously a lot of frustration. Obviously, a lot of people are upset,” said Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone. “I’m sure people are embarrassed. There’s a lot of that, but we don’t let the personal feelings come into play when we have the opportunity to fix things and try to work to get better.”
Following the New York Jets’ 23-20 upset of the Los Angeles Rams, the Jets (1-13) moved into a tie with the Jaguars for the rights to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Should both clubs lose their remaining two games, the top spot would be decided by a tiebreaker based on strength of schedule. Entering Week 15, the Jets (.592) had a higher SOS than the Jaguars (.536), meaning Jacksonville would have the inside track on potentially drafting Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, the presumed top selection in next year’s draft.
“We’re trying to win,” Marrone said Monday. “We’re doing everything we possibly can. That is my job right now, and I owe it to the coaches and players.”
The Jaguars will play the Chicago Bears (7-7) at TIAA Bank Field on Sunday before playing the Indianapolis Colts on the road to close out the regular season.
