The New York Giants (2-11) and Baltimore Ravens (8-5) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 15 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Opening the week, the Giants were listed as 14.5-point home underdogs and that spread has only gotten worse with Big Blue now at +16 as of this writing.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Ravens Wire managing editor Glenn Erby.
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Erby: Lamar Jackson’s matchups against NFC opponents are normally based on the schedule and where teams finish in their division on a yearly basis. The most obvious reason for his dominance is the fact that NFC teams only face the Ravens star once every four years, Jackson is left-handed, and he’s among the most athletic quarterbacks in NFL history. Baltimore has a unique style of play and a non-conventional offense based on Jackson’s ability to improvise and make magic happen.
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Derrick Henry has certainly taken an enormous amount of pressure off Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Henry has started all 13 games, carrying the football 240 times for 1,407 rushing yards (5.9 avg) and 13 rushing touchdowns. Henry has added another dimension of physicality to the Baltimore offense while opening up the passing game for Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews. Most importantly, Jackson has carried the football just 111 times through 13 games played, and he’s second to Henry in rushing attempts by a wide margin. In 2023, Jackson and Gus Edwards nearly had the same amount of rushing attempts.
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Justin Tucker has chalked his struggles up to technique and some regular season struggles. Tucker is 19-27 on field goal attempts this season, he’s 5-8 from 40-49 yards, and 4-9 from 50+ yards this season. His 70.4% is 39th among NFL kickers, and the lowest percentage of his 13-year career.
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Baltimore is 22nd in total defense (347.6 ypg) and 32nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed (264.9). The struggles start with explosive plays. The Ravens lead the NFL in completions of 20 or more yards allowed this season. Despite their struggles in pass defense, Baltimore has allowed the league’s fewest rushing yards per game (82.7), forcing opposing teams to throw the football at an increased rate. Couple that with the decline of Marcus Williams at safety, and a down season for Brandon Stephens, and you have that perfect recipe for defensive breakdowns. This season, teams have averaged 19.8 yards per completion against Williams and 14.4 per completion against Stephens.
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The bye was much needed, and the Ravens are heading to New York at the perfect time for a get-right type of performance. Baltimore has improved on defense, and the NFL’s most explosive offense regains its footing against a battered Giants team with multiple players ruled out. The Ravens win after a slow start, 31-14.
