Ravens, Forsett Won't Take Jaguars Lightly
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A year ago, Justin Forsett ran for 31 yards on six carries as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now a 1,000-yard rusher with the Ravens, Forsett knows it would be foolish for Baltimore to take its downtrodden opponent lightly Sunday.
"We don't look past anyone," Forsett said. "I know this (Jacksonville) team very well. Most of my work was done last year on the scout team against this defense. They have a couple of new pieces, but for the most part I know how tough they are."
The Ravens (8-5) have overcome a variety of distractions and injuries to put themselves in position to make the playoffs, and the feeling on the team is that they've come too far to look past a matchup against Jacksonville (2-11) at home.
"The thing is, if we had a playoff spot locked up and had three games left, then maybe you could fall into that trap," linebacker Elvis Dumervil said.
"But man, this team is scary because when you're 2-11, you've still got a lot of pride. They've got some explosive players and they have a very good defense."
Linebacker Daryl Smith, another ex-Jaguar, said, "It doesn't matter who's up next. Every game is important in December. All of them are must-win. So the Jaguars are next."
Ravens coach John Harbaugh bristled at the notion that facing Jacksonville might be perceived as an easy assignment.
"I would just reject the whole principle. It's not something that our guys would even consider," he said. "Maybe you can afford to look at it that way if you're not involved in it, but if you're involved in something in your job, or your life, or whatever, you don't take anything for granted, right?"
Jacksonville has nothing to lose except one more game, but pulling off an upset would certainly tack a positive note to an otherwise dismal season.
"My hope is that we go out there and compete our tails off; that we go up there with a mentality and we're aggressive, we have no fear, we go up there in attack mindset," coach Gus Bradley said.
Some things to know about the Ravens-Jaguars matchup:
HEALTHY FORSETT: One of the reasons Forsett never got a chance in Jacksonville last season was he was rarely healthy enough to show his talent.
"I had the turf toe during preseason and training camp and then I broke my foot Week 9," he recalled.
The result: "Though it was tough, probably the darkest moment in my career to this date, I loved what I went through because it made me a better man."
Forsett got his chance in Baltimore after Ray Rice was suspended and subsequently cut. Forsett has already reached career highs in carries, and his 1,080 yards are by far the most he's ever accumulated.
DENARD DONE: The Jaguars will be without running back Denard Robinson for the rest of the season because of a sprained right foot. Without him, Jacksonville will platoon Toby Gerhart and rookie Storm Johnson. Gerhart opened the season as the starter, but sprained his foot/ankle in September and lost his job to Robinson. Johnson, a seventh-round draft pick from UCF, has been inactive the past six games.
WRONG RECORD: Jacksonville's losing ways have reached a record low. The Jaguars are 8-37 over the past three seasons, with 27 of those losses coming by double digits. The latest lopsided loss, a 27-13 setback at Houston, set a modern-day NFL record (since the 1970 merger), breaking the previous three-year mark of 26 double-digit losses by the Houston Oilers in 1971-73 and 72-74.
SIR SACK A LOT: Dumervil had 3 1/2 sacks last week in a 28-13 win over Miami and is a sack away from matching his career high of 17, set in 2009 with Denver.
"Pernell McPhee, Terrell Suggs, everybody's doing their job, which does not allow me to get double-teamed so much," Dumervil said.
Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles attributed Dumervil's success to perseverance.
"I think he's relentless. He just gets after it," Bortles said. "He's got a motor that doesn't quit."
YOUTH IS SERVED: The Jaguars' rookies have combined for 65 starts through 13 games, most in the NFL.
At the top of the class is Bortles, who's 10 touchdown passes have gone to five different players -- including first-year players Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson.
After Robinson went on injured reserve with a broken right foot, Lee proved to be a solid substitute.
"He's definitely stepped up and taken advantage of it," Bortles said.
(Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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