Ravens Right the Ship Against the Reeling Giants
The NFL regular season is entering its final stretch, with four games left before the postseason gets underway next month. For the Ravens, they began their three-game stretch in 11 days on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium against the reeling Giants, who have lost eight straight games and are 2-11. The Ravens looked to right the ship coming off their bye week after a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13. Despite the Steelers holding a two-game lead in the AFC North, the division is still up for grabs, and the Ravens entered Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands as 16.5-point favorites. Quarterback Lamar Jackson and head coach John Harbaugh made sure they wouldn’t overlook the struggling Giants, especially after losses to lesser opponents like the Raiders and Browns earlier this season. With their offense aiming for a bounce-back performance, the Ravens delivered, lighting up the depleted Giants’ defense and securing a 35-14 win to get back on track ahead of their crucial rematch against their divisional rivals, the Steelers.
To start the game, the Ravens’ special teams set up their offense with excellent field position after running back Justice Hill returned the kickoff 59 yards deep into the Giants’ territory. However, the Ravens were unable to capitalize as Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson stripped the ball from Lamar Jackson during a run for a fumble, thwarting a potential scoring drive. The Ravens’ defense started the game strong, forcing the Giants into a quick three-and-out and preventing the offensive turnover from hurting them. After a second consecutive three-and-out by the Ravens’ defense, the Ravens began their third possession in Giants' territory again, as new punt returner Desmond King II found a seam for 22 yards. This time, the Ravens converted, with Jackson finding tight end Mark Andrews for a 13-yard touchdown, giving Baltimore a 7-0 lead late in the opening quarter.
In the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Giants attempted to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Ravens' 30-yard line, putting together their best drive of the game thus far. However, the Ravens’ defense held strong once again, stopping a quarterback sneak by Tommy DeVito and forcing a turnover on downs, leaving the Giants still scoreless. The Ravens' offense capitalized on the turnover as Jackson connected with receiver Rashod Bateman for a 49-yard touchdown, with Bateman juking a couple of Giants defenders to reach the end zone and extend the Ravens' lead to 14-0. On their fourth drive of the game, the Giants ran over eight minutes off the clock, aided by four Ravens defensive penalties, ultimately resulting in a two-yard touchdown run by running back Devin Singletary to cut the Ravens' lead to 14-7 with two minutes left in the half. With the Giants set to receive the ball to begin the second half, Baltimore was eager to add more points before heading into the locker room. They did just that, as with 32 seconds left, Jackson found Bateman for a wide-open 20-yard touchdown, his second of the day, to extend the Ravens' lead to 21-7 going into halftime.
The Giants began the second half learning that quarterback Tommy DeVito had been ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a concussion. This meant that six-year veteran Tim Boyle, the fourth quarterback to play for the Giants this season, would take over for the rest of the game. The Giants' drive stalled near midfield as the Ravens' defense began to assert its dominance over New York’s offensive line. Meanwhile, on the Ravens' first drive of the half, veteran back Derrick Henry started to get going, rattling off four runs of five or more yards. The drive culminated in a 21-yard touchdown toe-tap reception in the back of the end zone to rookie receiver Devontez Walker, marking his first NFL catch and extending the Ravens' lead to 28-7 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
To begin the fourth quarter, the Giants went for it on fourth down for the third time in the game at the Ravens' two-yard line. However, they were unable to get in, as the Ravens' defense forced an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs once again. The Ravens' offense continued to put the pedal to the metal, as Jackson connected with running back Justice Hill for a 27-yard touchdown, marking their fifth straight drive resulting in a touchdown and increasing their lead to 35-7 with 10 minutes left in the game. With six minutes left, the Giants scored their second touchdown of the game and their first since the second quarter, as rookie star receiver Malik Nabers hauled in a 23-yard touchdown reception to cut the Ravens' lead to 35-14. The Ravens closed out their ninth victory of the season, with backup quarterback Josh Johnson replacing Jackson for the remainder of the game, as the game was out of reach.
In the win, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson recorded his sixth career “Jackson Five” game, completing 21 of his 25 pass attempts for 290 yards, five passing touchdowns, and adding 65 rushing yards on six carries. Meanwhile, Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman had a standout performance, finishing with three receptions for 80 yards and two touchdown grabs. On the other side, the Giants continued their season-long offensive struggles, with quarterbacks Boyle and DeVito combining for 22 completions on 37 attempts for 181 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The Ravens will now look ahead to their highly anticipated rematch against the Steelers on Saturday, improving to 9-5, while the Giants will travel to Atlanta next week to face the Falcons.
