Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Spread Info, Line and Predictions

Another week, another bloodbath on Monday Night Football, this time with the Baltimore Ravens playing the role of victor and the Jacksonville Jaguars that of victim.

Not even Hank Williams Jr. could make this game more interesting.

Okay, so maybe I should save my predictions for the end, but it's tough not to imagine the 4-1 Ravens, fresh off a bye in Week 6, not sticking it to the sad-sack Jags, who've lost five games in a row since their surprising win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 and have since instated rookie Blaine Gabbert as the starting quarterback.

Where: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

When: Monday, October 24th at 8:30 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN

Listen: Westwood One, WBAL Radio (1090 AM), 98 Rock (97.9 FM), Sirius (92, 93, 88), XM (225, 88), WOKV

Betting Line: Baltimore Ravens -9, O/U 39 (according to bodog.com)

What's At Stake:

The Ravens have won their last three games but will need a victory to stay ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the surprising Cincinnati Bengals in the highly-competitive AFC North. A loss for the Jaguars would drop them to 1-6 on the season, though they'd still likely be ahead of the winless Colts in the race for third place in the eminently winnable AFC South.

Ravens Injury Report:

Cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Chris Carr have returned to practice, while safety Tom Zbikowski (concussion), wide receiver Lee Evans (ankle), linebacker Jarret Johnson (back) and left guard Ben Grubbs (toe) are still working their way back to health. Running back Anthony Allen (thigh) and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (hamstring) will not play on Monday night.

Jaguars Injury Report:

Jacksonville has a long list of players who were limited in practice this week, including tackle Eugene Monroe (shoulder), linebacker Clint Session (elbow), defensive tackle Tyson Alualu (knee) and guard Will Rackley (knee). Tackle Eben Britton (back) and safety Courtney Greene (hamstring) were held out of practice during the week.

Fantasy Start 'Em, Sit 'Em and Sleeper

Start 'Em: Ravens Defense/Special Teams

The Ravens lead the NFL in fantasy production from defense and special teams, which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given how stingy and intimidating Ray Lewis and company have been for so many years now. They'll have a golden opportunity to really rack up some points against a Jaguars offense that is among the worst in the NFL in yards and points per game, thanks in part to an offensive line that's given up 17 sacks this season while granting scant protection to rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Sit 'Em: Maurice Jones-Drew, RB

As mentioned previously, the Ravens' defense is about as nasty as they come and, as it happens, has allowed just 76.6 yards per game rushing this season. John Harbaugh figures to have his bunch filling the box to stonewall Maurice Jones-Drew and force Gabbert to make plays.

Frankly, even if the Jags still had a competent quarterback, MJD would still be a poor bet to produce this week, seeing as how Baltimore's D is the third-stingiest in the NFL when it comes to fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs.

Sleeper: Ed Dickson, TE

Ed Dickson isn't going to win you your league by himself, but he's got some solid point-earning potential this week. The Jags are surprisingly stout against wide receivers (seventh-best in fantasy points allowed) but haven't had quite as much success covering tight ends (seventh-worst). With Joe Flacco being as Jekyll-and-Hyde as he is, look for Dickson to get plenty of looks over the middle to keep the chains moving for the Ravens.

What They're Saying:

Dawan Landry left Baltimore in the offseason for more money and playing time in Jacksonville. According to Hometown Annapolis, the Ravens offered new contracts to a host of players, including defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, punter Sam Koch, kicker Billy Cundiff and guard Marshal Yanda, but not to Landry. Said Landry of the situation:

"It basically came down to financials and things like that. It was a great organization, but I was looking at Jacksonville and the moves they made in the offseason and I wanted to be a part of that."

Ravens coach John Harbaugh admitted that the team attempted to re-sign him:

"We wanted Dawan back, yes, and unfortunately it didn't work out. He's a heck of a player. We've got a ton of respect for him. He was a huge part of our defense the last three years and even before. He's very physical, obviously, he's an excellent tackler."

As for Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio, he can't complain about having Landry around:

"We're happy to have him. He's got passion, he prepares hard, he plays hard and he's a good tackler. He's been active for us in our defense, and he's really fit in well for us."

This will be Landry's first game against the team that drafted him and brought him along over the first five years of his career.

Ravens Player to Watch: Joe Flacco

Flacco's been as inconsistent as any quarterback in the NFL this season. The fourth-year signal caller is off to a rather disappointing start, completing just 51.4 percent of his passes while accounting for eight turnovers—four interceptions, four fumbles.

A game against the lowly Jaguars should be a confidence booster for Flacco, though Jacksonville's pass defense has been surprisingly solid, allowing just 210.3 yards passing per game.

Jaguars Player to Watch: Blaine Gabbert

Speaking of struggling quarterbacks, one can hardly fault Blaine Gabbert for experiencing growing pains amidst his rookie season, though the kid clearly has a long way to go. The former Missouri Tiger has connected on a fortuitous 44.8 percent of his pass attempts while posting a QB efficiency rating of 71.7, the third-lowest among all eligible quarterbacks.

He'll get knocked down quite a bit by the Ravens' defense. The question is, how will he bounce back?

Key Matchup: Ravens RB Ray Rice vs. Jaguars LB Paul Posluszny

With Jacksonville's defense being as strong as it is against the pass, Baltimore will turn to Ray Rice to carry the load and consume clock. The task will fall to Paul Posluszny, the one-time Buffalo Bill who joined the Jaguars amidst the team's free-agent frenzy, to keep tabs on the speedy Rice throughout the game.

On the Hot Seat: Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jack Del Rio came into the season with his job on the line and has done little to convince folks in Jacksonville that he won't be gone by the end of the 2011 campaign, if not sooner. The Jags have made the playoffs only twice since Del Rio arrived in 2003, with the most recent appearance coming in 2007. Barring a miraculous turnaround, the Jags will finish well out of the postseason once again, leaving Del Rio as perhaps the most likely of all coaches in the NFL to get chopped.

Prediction: Ravens 24, Jaguars 10