ExtremeRavens Posted December 12 Posted December 12 The Ravens (8-5) are coming off their bye week. The Giants (2-11) lost their eighth straight, 14-11 to the New Orleans Saints. Who will have the edge when a playoff contender meets a contender for the No. 1 overall pick on Sunday afternoon? Ravens passing game vs. Giants pass defense Lamar Jackson still leads the league in passer rating and yards per attempt, with an incredible 29-to-3 touchdown to interception ratio, but he couldn’t find a steady rhythm in the Ravens’ Dec. 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That was in large part because Philadelphia’s gifted defensive front spent much of the afternoon in his face, taking advantage of subpar pass protection from center Tyler Linderbaum and especially left guard Patrick Mekari. Even on an off day for the league’s most efficient aerial attack, wide receiver Zay Flowers caught a 40-yard pass and tight end Mark Andrews grabbed six of seven thrown his way, including his seventh touchdown in the Ravens’ past eight games. So the upside is always there. The Ravens will need more from No. 2 wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who was shut out against the Eagles and left the game early with a sore knee. Jackson will try to get back to his NFL Most Valuable Player form against a New York pass defense that produces above-average pressure with edge rushers Brian Burns (seven sacks, eight passes defended, 14 quarterback hits) and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Rookie nickel back Dru Phillips has also emerged as a standout. But the Giants will be without their best player, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence (who suffered a season-ending elbow injury), and they’re dealing with injuries to starters at all three levels of their defense. They rank 24th in third-down efficiency and last in preventing touchdowns in the red zone, and they’ll face a Baltimore offense that’s No. 3 on third down and No. 1 in the red zone. Despite superficially solid numbers against the pass, they could be in for a long afternoon if Jackson’s protection holds up. EDGE: Ravens Giants passing game vs. Ravens pass defense The Giants are back to Tommy DeVito at quarterback after they released Daniel Jones and Drew Lock suffered a heel injury. DeVito started in a 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the weekend before Thanksgiving, completing 21 of 31 passes for 189 yards. The reality is that no matter who has lined up at center, the Giants have stunk at moving the ball through the air, ranking last in the league at 4.8 yards per attempt. Wide receiver Malik Nabers, the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft, is their most prolific playmaker, but even he’s averaging just 10.2 yards per catch while trying to push through a hip injury. DeVito’s other top target, Wan’Dale Robinson, averages a mere 7.2 yards per catch. Veteran Darius Slayton is the only receiver resembling a deep threat. DeVito holds the ball too long and invites sacks, a significant problem considering the Giants are also dealing with injuries to four of their five starting offensive linemen. That doesn’t count their best blocker, left tackle Andrew Thomas, who’s on injured reserve. They’ll go against a Baltimore pass defense that has rediscovered its footing over the last month, allowing an average of just 165 yards against its past three opponents. The Ravens have still allowed the most total passing yards, but they’re up to 16th in DVOA against the pass thanks to better coordination on the back end with Ar’Darius Washington replacing Marcus Williams at safety. Their next goal is to take the ball away more. They rank just 23rd in creating turnovers after they led the league last season. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey has been the exception to the rule with five interceptions and a forced fumble. The team’s pass rush will gain a boost from the return of outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who missed the Eagles game with a hamstring injury, and improved health for defensive tackle Travis Jones, who has played through a painful ankle injury and needed the bye week as much as anyone on the team. EDGE: Ravens Ravens running game vs. Giants run defense The Ravens lead the league in yards per attempt and rank second in yards per game. Running back Derrick Henry has traditionally upped his production and efficiency late in the season, a sobering thought for opponents given that he’s averaging 108.2 yards per game and 5.9 per carry. Jackson scolded himself for not exploiting available running lanes against the Eagles, so it will be interesting to see if he takes off more now that the Ravens have entered their stretch run. He’s averaging a career-low 8.5 attempts per game but leads the league at 6.1 yards per attempt. Henry and Jackson represent a severe mismatch for a New York defense that ranks 29th in yards allowed per game and 30th in yards allowed per attempt. Top running teams such as the Eagles and Washington Commanders have unleashed devastation on the Giants, who have a decent pair of linebackers in Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden but will badly miss Lawrence on the interior. EDGE: Ravens Giants running game vs. Ravens run defense The Giants have suffered the ignominy of watching their former superstar, Saquon Barkley, run wild for the Eagles. But rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. has given them solid production, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. That said, Tracy has gone for just 119 yards on 34 carries over his past three games and has fumbled three times in his past four. DeVito is at least a modest scrambling threat with 227 yards on 43 attempts in 11 career games. The Giants are more efficient on the ground than through the air, so they’ll probably at least try against a Baltimore defense that has allowed just 82.7 yards per game and 3.5 yards per attempt, both best in the league. The Ravens could benefit from the return of nose tackle Michael Pierce, who has been out since the last weekend of October with a calf injury. The bye week was well-timed for leading tackler Roquan Smith, who played well against the Eagles after a hamstring injury kept him out of the team’s win over the Chargers. Coordinator Zach Orr has taken to rotating Malik Harrison and Chris Board in for struggling Trenton Simpson at the other linebacker spot. The Ravens defense is steadily improving in its first year under coordinator Zach Orr. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) EDGE: Ravens Ravens special teams vs. Giants special teams Ravens kicker Justin Tucker faced uncomfortable questions about his job security after he missed a pair of field goal attempts and an extra point try in the one-score loss to Philadelphia. Tucker, the most accurate kicker in league history coming into the season, has made just 19 of 27 field goal attempts in 2024. If his struggles continue, the issue will loom over the Ravens’ postseason push. They rank an unfamiliar 24th in special teams DVOA, largely because of their kicker. The Giants rank even worse at 27th in DVOA. They have used three kickers, and their current choice, Graham Gano, has made six of eight field goal attempts with a long of 50 yards. New York’s return game has been particularly anemic, averaging 7.3 yards on punts and 26 on kickoffs. EDGE: Ravens Ravens intangibles vs. Giants intangibles The Ravens have gone 13-3 coming off bye weeks under coach John Harbaugh, and their late-season rest was welcome coming off a bruising loss to Philadelphia. Despite that setback, the Ravens are in strong position to make the playoffs, with a decent shot to catch the Steelers, whom they’ll host after they face the Giants, in the AFC North. They won’t be lacking for motivation despite traveling north as a massive road favorite. The Giants have circled the drain for two months under coach Brian Daboll, who was a Big Apple star two years ago but now finds himself on the hot seat. This team wasn’t good to start and is now banged up beyond recognition with a stopgap quarterback and fans more interested in picking No. 1 next spring than winning games the rest of this year. EDGE: Ravens Prediction The Giants simply aren’t equipped to keep up with a Ravens team that will be fresh coming off its bye and eager to wash away the sour taste from a loss to the Eagles. The Giants have a few good pass rushers, but they’re without their best defender in Lawrence, and they don’t stop the run. That’s not the formula you want against Jackson and Henry. On the other side of the ball, New York doesn’t have the playmakers to match touchdowns with the league’s most efficient offense. This might be the Ravens’ last relatively easy game of the year, but they will cruise. Ravens 31, Giants 14 Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article Quote
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