Jaguars 28, Ravens 27: Game Balls
Each week during the 2022 season, we will take a quick post-game look at which Jacksonville Jaguars stood out the most.
Win or lose, rain or shine, we will hand out game balls to an offensive, defensive and special teams player.
In this edition, we take a look at the Jaguars' 28-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12 and which players stood out in big ways.
Offense: Trevor Lawrence
It is impossible to overstate just how good Trevor Lawrence was against the Ravens. Even when the Jaguars struggled to move the ball in the third quarter, it wasn't because of Lawrence, who consistently made big throws on third- and fourth-down to keep the Jaguars in the game. The entire offense deserves credit, but Lawrence's dynamic poise and composure down the stretch and his number of franchise quarterback-level throws made this his second-ever game with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. It also finished as his best-ever game in terms of quarterback rating, yards per attempt and adjusted yards per attempt. Fumbling twice and losing one was an error, but it was otherwise the type of breakout game everyone has been waiting to see from Lawrence.
“He played well. He played tough. He played smart, took care of the football, other than one strip sack there towards the end late in the fourth quarter," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday.
"I thought, man, I thought he played really well. He made some really big throws, took a step in the right direction as I mentioned after the game. Great for his confidence, a win like that and the way we won, I think can just build more confidence within the team.”
It is worth noting Zay Jones also deserves praise for his 145-yard day, while JaMycal Hasty's contributions as a receiving back and Marvin Jones' clutch final drive are noteworthy, too.
Defense: Foyesade Oluokun
"That man is a machine."
Those were the words heard in the Jaguars locker room when starting middle linebacker Foyesade Oluokun stepped to the podium. The voice of the defense, Oluokun got to play in arguably the best situation of his season in Week 12. Not only did the Jaguars simplify a defense that often required Oluokun to fix and maintain, but they also started rookie linebacker Chad Muma instead of struggling linebacker Devin Lloyd, which gave Oluokun one less set of responsibilities to worry about.
Oluokun responded with 18 tackles (two times as many as the next defender) and a staggering 13 solo tackles. He also tacked on two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a near second forced fumble against Mark Andrews. He tied for the team all-time record of total tackles in a game and was just three solo tackles shy of the record.
“I think it’s possible, I also think that Mike [Caldwell] did a nice job of just simplifying some things defensively so the guys can play freer too," Pederson said on Monday.
"There’s not as many moving parts out there on defense, and the guys really just settled into their roles. I think having Chad [Muma] there did maybe calm some things down for Foye, to free him up on some plays. He played aggressive, he played downhill. He was great on that fourth down stop during the game. All of that with a little bit of simplification helps the whole group.”
Special teams: Logan Cooke, Daniel Thomas and Chris Claybrooks
It was tough to pick this one. Riley Patterson made two important field goals, but the Jaguars also did a great job of playing the field position game. Logan Cooke averaged 68.7 yards per punt on three punts, including a 70-yard punt and a 68-yard punt that pinned the Ravens at the two-yard line thanks to clutch plays to keep the ball in-bounds by Chris Claybrooks and Daniel Thomas.
Photo: Via Alex Shepherd
