Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson called his team’s bye last week a “breath of fresh air.” So what if it followed a narrow home loss?
“Games have just been going crazy for us,” Jackson said. “We took a little deep breath, took a step back, relaxed.”
With an AFC wild-card berth — and maybe a crack at the AFC North title — in sight, the Ravens welcomed the chance to recharge.
Entering a Sunday meeting with the slumping New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., Baltimore (8-5) holds the fifth seed in the conference. The Ravens are two games behind division-leading Pittsburgh with four games to go, including a visit from the Steelers in Week 16.
“In all professional sports, especially in football, it’s a grueling season,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said, “but if you have confidence going into the playoffs, going into that stretch, then I feel like anything can happen.”
Of course, the last part of Hamilton’s comment applies no matter what point of the season it is. Noting that two of Baltimore’s losses came against the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns, teams that are a combined 5-21, Hamilton said that the Ravens can’t take the 2-11 Giants lightly.
Still, New York will aim to snap an eight-game losing streak and win at home for the first time this season amid another change at quarterback. With Drew Lock in a walking boot after sustaining a heel injury last weekend during a 14-11 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Giants will return to Tommy DeVito under center.
DeVito was south of spectacular in a Week 12 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before leaving the contest due to a forearm injury. He was 21-for-31 for 189 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in the team’s first action following the release of former first-round pick Daniel Jones.
“You always got to be ready for whatever happens. Obviously, it’s been a little bit of a crazy situation this whole year with everything that’s gone on,” DeVito said. “So, there’s almost no surprises at this point. You just got to stay ready.”
Even with all the adversity that New York has faced, the Giants are staying positive as they get ready for Baltimore to visit.
“There’s always a bigger picture,” Giants linebacker Brian Burns said. “I’m trying to get the guys to understand there’s a bigger picture than what we got going on right now. Obviously, it’s just falling in love with the process of getting better, especially these young guys. We got a lot of young guys playing on this defense and they need to evolve.”
Although the Ravens will be without wide receiver Diontae Johnson (team-issued suspension), their offensive attack certainly commands attention from the Giants or any defensive unit.
Jackson is an NFL MVP candidate who leads the league with a 116.3 passer rating, and he ranks second with 29 touchdown passes. He has passed for 3,290 yards while rushing for 678 yards and three scores.
Baltimore running back Derrick Henry is tied for the league lead with 13 rushing touchdowns and is second with 1,407 yards on the ground.
The Ravens are looking to bounce back after a 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1.
“Who’s gonna win in December, who’s gonna win in January, who’s gonna have an opportunity in February, that remains to be seen,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. “… It’s a long season in this league for a reason. We’re gonna try to play our best football here at the end of the season.”
Standout rookie receiver Malik Nabers was limited during the Giants’ practice on Wednesday due to a hip injury.
