NFL Analyst Says Ravens Are in Big Trouble After Jacoby Brissett Trade

The Baltimore Ravens are having a tough stretch of the NFL season. Their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, had surgery on his right thumb after getting hurt in a game against the Buffalo Bills. The team then traded for quarterback Jacoby Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals, hoping he could help. But a well-known football analyst says the Ravens have much bigger problems than just finding a new quarterback.

CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco recently spoke on a show called 'Just Football' and gave the Ravens some harsh news. He said Brissett is a solid professional, but that the Cardinals had already benched him in favor of another quarterback named Gardner Minshew. Getting benched for another player is usually a bad sign, and Prisco didn't hold back about what that means for Baltimore. 'He's a pro, there's no question about it, but they pulled him out of the backup pile. Let's be real,' Prisco said.

Prisco went further and suggested that Brissett alone won't be enough to fix the Ravens' troubles. He pointed out that the team has many issues beyond who is playing quarterback. When Lamar Jackson is healthy, his incredible play can hide some of those problems. Without him, Prisco believes those weaknesses will be very hard to overcome.

'If Lamar's out for the year it doesn't matter .... I think the Ravens are cooked. In fact, I think the AFC Playoffs are done [for the Ravens],' Prisco said. That is a strong statement about a team that was 4-4 and sitting fourth in the AFC North division. The Ravens still have many tough games ahead, including matchups against division rivals like the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

One bright spot for Baltimore has been star running back Derrick Henry, who has helped the team move the ball on the ground. The Ravens average 338.6 total yards of offense per game this season, with a strong rushing attack thanks to Henry. However, fans and experts are wondering if even Henry's talents will be enough to earn wins with Brissett leading the offense.

Brissett has completed 63.3% of his passes this season and averaged 214.9 passing yards per game. He has thrown 11 touchdowns, but also 7 interceptions, which are passes caught by the other team. The Cardinals had a record of 3 wins and 5 losses while he was their starter before they switched to Minshew. Minshew then led Arizona to a win over the Dallas Cowboys in overtime on the following Sunday.

Before Brissett even suited up for Baltimore, the Ravens still had a game on Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano, who was not even drafted out of college at UConn, was set to make his first NFL start. Jacksonville was a 10-point favorite to win the game, meaning most people expected the Jaguars to come out on top. A win for Baltimore would have moved their record above .500, which means more wins than losses.

The Ravens' season is at a crossroads, and the coming weeks will show whether the team can hold things together without Jackson. If Baltimore hopes to reach the playoffs, they will likely need Brissett to play much better than he did in Arizona. They will also need help from players like Henry and their defense to stay competitive. For now, fans in Baltimore are holding their breath and hoping the team can find a way to turn things around.