Today's Action: Thursday, November 5 — Lamar's Out, Jacksonville Rolls Into Baltimore + Klay Returns to the Bay

Thursday night was supposed to be a heavyweight AFC fight. Instead, Lamar Jackson is on injured reserve, an undrafted rookie is taking the first snap in Baltimore, and the best team in the AFC South is rolling into M&T Bank Stadium looking for blood. Add Klay Thompson's return to Chase Center, a Europa League afternoon in South London and the opening round in Cabo, and you've got a full Thursday.

Today's Top Matchups

NFL | Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Baltimore Ravens — 8:15 PM ET (Prime Video)
Lamar went down on the first offensive snap of Sunday's loss to Buffalo with a right thumb injury that needs surgery, and he's now on IR for at least four games. Tyler Huntley got hurt in the same game (toe), so the job goes to Joe Fagnano, an undrafted rookie out of UConn who went 10-of-21 for 91 yards and a pick in relief on Sunday. Baltimore is 4-4 and has lost three straight. Jacksonville is 5-2 and has a three-game lead in the AFC South after dropping 42 on the Colts coming off the bye. Trevor Lawrence went 10-of-14 for 210 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and he's at 17 touchdowns and four interceptions for the season, which puts him in the MVP conversation.

The Edge: Jacksonville has the edge, and it isn't close. The Jaguars rank top five in EPA per play on both sides of the ball. Now that defense gets a rookie making his first start on a short week, behind an offense where Zay Flowers didn't catch a single pass on Sunday. The Ravens are 7-13 all-time when Lamar doesn't play. Baltimore's crowd and defense can keep it ugly for a half. Over four quarters, the team with a real quarterback is the better setup.

NBA | Miami Heat vs. Golden State Warriors — 10:00 PM ET (NBA TV)
Klay Thompson is back in San Francisco, this time wearing Heat colors. He averaged 19.6 points over 793 games and won four rings with Golden State. The Warriors have won five straight since an 0-3 start, all at home. Steph Curry is averaging 30 points a game and needs just two more to pass Oscar Robertson for 17th on the all-time scoring list, so expect that to happen early. Miami is 2-5 and just gave up 138 to the Lakers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.4 points, 12.3 rebounds) is listed as a game-time decision with a wrist injury.

The Edge: Golden State is better positioned. The Warriors are playing the fourth game of a six-game homestand, they're rolling, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (37 points against the Clippers) gives them a second scorer they didn't have last year. Miami has allowed almost 124 points a night. If Giannis sits, the Heat don't have an answer for the paint or for Curry. Klay will get a big ovation. The Warriors should get the win.

UEL | Crystal Palace vs. Hoffenheim — 12:45 PM ET (Paramount+)
This is Matchday 4 of the Europa League league phase at Selhurst Park. Palace earned this trip by winning the Conference League, and they're 1-1-1 so far: a 4-0 rout of Lech Poznań, a 3-2 loss at Lyon and a 2-2 thriller at Beşiktaş in which Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a wonder goal. They're three points out of the top eight, and the top eight skip the playoff round. Hoffenheim, under Christian Ilzer, is a strong Bundesliga side that presses hard and will make Palace's back line work.

The Edge: Palace has the edge. Selhurst under the lights on a European night is a tough place to play, and Pierre Sage's side scores even in games it loses. The models give Palace close to a 50% win probability with Hoffenheim under 30%. Mateta at home against a team that pushes its defenders high is the matchup most people are sleeping on.

PGA TOUR | World Wide Technology Championship, Round 1 — El Cardonal at Diamante, Los Cabos
The FedExCup Fall heads to Mexico. Ben Griffin is back to defend his title against a 120-man field, with a $6 million purse at stake. El Cardonal is a Tiger Woods design with wide fairways and greens you can attack. It has the highest fairway-hit and green-in-regulation rates of any course on Tour, so expect birdies all day. For a lot of the field, this week is about keeping a Tour card for 2027.

The Edge: Griffin is in the best position. He already knows how to win here, and on a course this forgiving, the winner is the player who putts best and makes the most birdies. Course history matters here more than usual. Past winners Austin Eckroat and Erik van Rooyen both won by going low early, so a hot start on Thursday is worth a lot.

The FadeThePublic Gear Call

Everybody's sweating the quarterback news this week, but Thursday night in Baltimore in November is going to come down to who wins in the trenches. Jacksonville can lean on its front and its ground game, and the Ravens will have to lean on theirs to protect a rookie. That's football the old way, and it's exactly what our Run The Damn Ball Football Rope Hat was made for. Wear it Thursday night.

The rookie's under center, Klay's back in the Bay, and Thursday night is ready to go. Lock in.