ExtremeRavens Posted December 15 Posted December 15 Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 35-14 win over the New York Giants in Sunday’s Week 15 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Brian Wacker, reporter: This game was as much about escaping without serious injury and getting back into a rhythm as much as it was about winning. The Giants (2-12) are a hapless, injury-ravaged team and didn’t have a chance of keeping up with the league’s top offense. Lamar Jackson knew the assignment and mostly delivered. Still, the same old penalty problems popped up for the Ravens (9-5), which is more concerning given they were coming off a bye. They could afford that against New York, but they won’t be able to get away with that in next week’s massive AFC North showdown against the Steelers. Childs Walker, reporter: This was the mismatch forecasted — the NFL’s most explosive offense against one of its least explosive. The Ravens goofed away chances to make their victory even more emphatic. Justice Hill ran the opening kickoff back 59 yards, but Lamar Jackson fumbled away a near-certain scoring drive. They basically handed the Giants a touchdown with 41 penalty yards on an 80-yard drive in the second quarter. New York simply wasn’t equipped to punish them for their mishaps, not on an afternoon when Jackson was deadly accurate with the downfield throws that create first downs and touchdowns. Yes, the injury-ravaged Giants were easy pickings, but no other offense had shredded them so casually. Aside from the penalties, the Ravens’ defense also did its job on third down and in the red zone. Now comes the real test against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who disorient Jackson more consistently than any other opponent. What we saw against the Giants didn’t tell us much about what we’ll see Saturday in the AFC North’s game of the year. Ravens vs. Giants, December 15, 2024 | PHOTOS Mike Preston, columnist: As expected, the Ravens dominated a Giants team that has been hit hard by injuries. With four of New York’s defensive front seven on the injured reserve list, Baltimore easily took control and dominated offensively. Lamar Jackson had a relatively easy day, passing for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, though, the Ravens struggled and missed quite a few tackles early from players in the secondary. Those mishaps, along with poor coverage and penalties, were disturbing because the Ravens have a big showdown coming up Saturday with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won eight of their past nine games against Baltimore. Despite having a week off from the bye last Sunday, the Ravens still show signs of a team that needs improvement. C.J. Doon, editor: Lamar Jackson looks playoff ready. Will the rest of the Ravens follow suit? There’s not too much we can learn from a game against perhaps the league’s worst team (especially with journeyman Tim Boyle under center), but Jackson certainly didn’t take the Giants lightly. He was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 13 of 14 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 55 yards on four carries. He took what the defense gave him on the ground and delivered pinpoint throws from the pocket, including a 20-yard strike to Rashod Bateman in the back of the end zone. He was in complete command. Might it be enough to push Jackson back into the MVP conversation? Remember, it was this time last year when he and the Ravens dominated to secure the top spot in the AFC. The AFC North race is far from over. For the defense, there are still plenty of concerns. During the Giants’ 13-play, 80-yard touchdown march in the second quarter, the Ravens were flagged four times, including a defensive holding penalty on Marlon Humphrey, a roughing the passer penalty on Nnamdi Madubuike, a (questionable) pass interference penalty on Brandon Stephens and an illegal hands to the face penalty on Odafe Oweh that helped extend the drive. Stephens committed another pass interference penalty on fourth down in the third quarter that extended a drive in the red zone, and Nate Wiggins earned one in the fourth quarter. Recently signed cornerback Desmond King couldn’t find the ball on Boyle’s touchdown pass to Malik Nabers and then joined the party with a pass interference penalty late in the fourth quarter, the Ravens’ 13th such infraction this season. The secondary can ill-afford such mistakes in bigger games against better opponents. Baltimore finished the game with a season-high 12 penalties for 112 yards, adding to their league-worst total. When they aren’t shooting themselves in the foot, this is a good team, perhaps even great. But seeing the same sloppiness after the bye week is frustrating for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Tim Schwartz, editor: Ho hum. That was pretty much what we expected. Lamar Jackson was dominant and took his mom’s advice by running more. The defense had no issues against whoever was under center for New York. But the biggest takeaway for me is that the Ravens did not use the bye week to focus on being more disciplined. They are committing way too many penalties — still. It won’t hurt them against bad teams like the Giants, but Saturday against the Steelers and the playoffs will be a different animal. Cornerbacks aren’t finding the ball. Offensive linemen are committing presnap infractions. At some point it needs to be an indictment on the coaching staff. Nobody will be surprised at this rate if a penalty in a key moment dooms their season. Bennett Conlin, editor: Baltimore is one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL because Lamar Jackson is the best player in the league. Jackson’s efficient performance highlighted a strong showing against a bad team, and Rashod Bateman’s emergence as well as successful punt and kickoff returns were other obvious positives. There were also frustrating plays against an overmatched opponent. Jackson turned the ball over on a promising opening drive, and coach John Harbaugh opted to punt on fourth-and-1 at midfield the next possession despite having Derrick Henry and Jackson in the backfield. Defensive penalties handed the Giants their first touchdown of the game. Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh will tell us a lot about whether the Ravens are ready for a late-season surge or if the same issues that plagued the team in Weeks 1 and 2 are going to linger into January. The Ravens are a Super Bowl contender when they’re clicking. It’s one thing to click against the Giants. It’s another to deliver a strong showing against Pittsburgh. Next weekend’s game will tell us much more about Baltimore’s postseason prospects. View the full article Quote
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