Paul’s pick
This would be a greater upset than beating the Seahawks in Seattle, as the Ravens are desperate, with no room to slip up in their quest for the playoffs. Getting Daniel Jones back should help, as long as he can move. Ravens like to play bully-ball. The Giants can do it on defense. Not so much on offense, other than flashes in their ground game. Lamar Jackson is on a roll and tough to corral.
Ravens 27, Giants 20
Marquee matchup
Ravens defensive backfield vs. Giants receiving targets
The most vulnerable area on the Ravens’ defense is their secondary now that CB Jimmy Smith is out and CB Markus Peters is questionable. There is certainly no guarantee the guys the Giants pay to run routes and make tough catches can take advantage of this. Golden Tate (calf) is unavailable. Sterling Shepard insists he is getting open often enough. Fine. Let us see Shepard and Darius Slayton, laboring through a regression in Year 2, open up cushions for Jones to throw into. And let’s see if tight end Evan Engram is emboldened by his Pro Bowl selection.
“Overall, we need to do a better job as a coaching staff getting them in a position to make plays,’’ said tight end coach Freddie Kitchens, who called the plays on offense last week and will cede that responsibility back to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett for this game. “Then when they have the opportunities, we need to make the plays.’’
4 downs
Containing Lamar: The Giants will try to make elusive Lamar Jackson “play left-handed,’’ meaning they will try to get him out of his comfort zone. Mostly, their defense has been solid at setting the edge. Jackson in the pocket is manageable. Letting Jackson out of the pocket is going to beat you. The Ravens’ 94 points in the first quarter is the second-highest total in the NFL. Why? Opposing defenses are not immediately ready for Jackson’s attack speed.
“You can’t go in there, dip your toe in the water and say, ‘OK, we’ll get a feel for how this game is going to go,’ because by the time you get a feel for it, they’ve got 21 points on you,’’ Joe Judge said.
Jonesing for Daniel: Can Daniel Jones salvage something from this regressive second season with a strong closing act? He had several “wow’’ moments as a rookie. Not so much in 2020. If his legs are healed up enough to allow him to run, he must be judicious with his scrambling. He has not put together one completely impressive game all season. If he has it in him, this would be the opportune time.
Ups and downs in Blue: Nearing the end of his second NFL season, it has been an up-and-down Giants existence for Julian Love. He fell out of favor with last year’s since-departed coaching staff and did not get on the field much early with this new regime. Love last week played a season-high 61 snaps on defense, moving from free safety to cornerback, as James Bradberry was out. Maybe Love is establishing a foothold for 2021.
“Julian Love is growing on me day by day, week by week,’’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “This guy, his toughness is showing up. The tackling, his versatility, he was competitive on a bunch of balls.’’
Road woes: There is plenty for the Giants to overcome to pull off this upset. Where and especially when the game is taking place is quite an obstacle. The Ravens are gunning for their eighth consecutive home win in December. Their 12-2 record in the final month of the year since 2018 is the best in the league. No hostile fans in the seats has been agreeable to the Giants. They are better on the road (3-4) than at home (2-5) this season.