The Baltimore Ravens are set to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 of the 2020 season. It’s a game Baltimore is expected to win, however, the team does have a history of playing down to opponents. Baltimore will have to be careful not to overlook Jacksonville, especially in what is all but a must-win scenario.
As is always the case, the Ravens will be looking for a full-team effort to take down their opponent this week. But as is usually the case, certain individual matchups will carry a little more weight in determining the winner of this game. For this game, it’s Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen vs. Jaguars running back James Robinson.
There haven’t been a lot of bright spots for Jacksonville this year but Robinson has certainly been one of them. The underrated rookie out of Illinois State has rushed 224 times for 1,035 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. He’s also a proven threat as a receiver, accumulating 46 receptions for 326 yards and two touchdown catches. The Jaguars’ offense flows through Robinson, so if Baltimore wants to slow down Jacksonville, their first concern should be stopping Robinson.
One of the players on the Ravens’ defense who will be key in containing Robinson is Queen. He’s had an up-and-down rookie season, at times looking like an inexperienced rookie in some games only to look like a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender in others.
Queen has a team-leading 92 tackles along with two sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one touchdown return. While he’s struggled in coverage as well as being in the right place at times, he’s been a pleasant surprise for a first-year player, especially considering that there was no preseason and a limited offseason in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Queen will be tasked with stopping Robinson at the second level of Baltimore’s defense. Players like Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, and Derek Wolfe will eat up blockers, giving Queen free lanes to the runner. If he can win one-on-one battles on first and second down by scraping down the line and meeting the ball carrier in the hole, it should force the Jaguars into many third-and-long situations.
If Baltimore can make Jacksonville’s offense one-dimensional by taking away their running game early, it should make things easier on their defense. Queen will be a big part of that, so if he has a big game, it should bode extremely well for the Ravens.