For Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Fagnano, his wife, Lydia, may have been the lone bright spot in what was otherwise a nightmarish outing.
During pregame warmups before the Ravens’ 33-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fagnano spotted his wife on the sideline. The couple shared a hug and a kiss before Lydia offered her husband some encouragement before the first start of his career.
“Love you! Have fun!” Lydia said.
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Lydia, braving the rainy weather, was shown frequently on the broadcast cheering for Joe when the Ravens’ offense picked up first downs.
Earlier in the week, Fagnano told reporters that Lydia had been instrumental in his preparation for game day.
“My wife, I mean, we go through walkthroughs in the living room,” Fagnano told reporters on Tuesday. “She’s reading plays and stuff. She probably knows the playbook just as well as us at this point. So, I mean, I’ve always been doing stuff to prepare. Like I said, it’s just a little bit more physical work out in the field now.”
A reporter asked if Lydia had stepped up her preparation this week with Fagnano set to make his first career start.
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“Yeah, she’s working on some play calls. We’re getting her signals down,” Fagnano said with a smile.
The undrafted rookie was dealt a tough hand in his first career start. He was playing through an ankle injury and faced a Jaguars defense that allowed the second-fewest points per game in the NFL (15.1), all while playing in pouring rain.
On top of that, the 25-year-old played on a Thursday, meaning he had not taken any practice reps that week. Entering Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, Fagnano had been the No. 3 quarterback behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler “Snoop” Huntley. As a result, many of his first reps with the starting offense came during Sunday’s and Thursday’s games.
Fagnano completed 10 of his 18 passes for 60 yards with two interceptions.
Unfortunately for him, barring an injury to Jacoby Brissett, whom the Ravens are reportedly acquiring this weekend, this may have been his only start of the season.
Regardless of who is at the helm, the 4-5 Ravens will look to get back on track when they play the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10.