Ravens vs. Giants Preview: Back to Business

If there was ever a perfect get-right game for the Baltimore Ravens on paper, then Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants would be it.

The Ravens entered the bye week on a sour note, losing two of their last three games largely due to self-inflicted errors. Now with a week of rest under their belt, they get to face a Giants team that is incredibly beat-up and essentially just waiting for the season to end at this point.

Despite that, Baltimore knows that any team can be dangerous, and is treating this game like any other.

“Our expectations don’t change, week to week; that’s more of an outside looking in view on the game,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “[With] their record verse our record, you’re just assuming something, but those guys play in the NFL, too, and they’ve got a lot of talent over there. I mean, we lost to the Raiders, who are 2-[11] right now, so you can’t really go into a game thinking that; you’ve got to go play every single game. So, I think we have that mindset, and we’re locked in on the Giants.”

The Giants don’t have much to write home about on offense, ranking dead last in scoring and starting Tommy DeVito at quarterback in place of the injured Drew Lock.

The one exception is rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is having a great debut season with 80 receptions for 819 yards and three touchdowns. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr even compared Nabers to another LSU product in Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase, who has tormented Baltimore for years now. Stopping him will be the Ravens’ top priority on defense, even with subpar quarterback play.

On defense, the Giants are dealing with injuries all over, including to many of their best players. The Ravens’ offense has come back down to Earth over the past few weeks, so with the bye and a seemingly easy opponent, this could be a chance to get back on track.

“I definitely think it comes at the right time,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “We’ve all been going hard, like I said earlier. But it just gives guys a mental break [and allows us to] come back fresh mentally. [We’re] eager to play [and] finish the season. We’ve got playoffs coming up, so [it] definitely [came at] a much-needed time, right now.”

This game marks the start of a brutal stretch for the Ravens, as their next three games come in an 11-day span. In that regard, the bye week came at a perfect time.

“We’re excited to get back to work,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “We had a good week. I think our guys made the most of the [bye] week – different guys [did] different things. We had some rest player-wise; we also had a bunch of guys training and working and getting ready for what’s ahead. We have a four-game season in front of us right now. This is the season; it kind of begins now. The season is important to determine the important outcomes for the rest of the way – that’s what we’re focused on.”

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