Ravens Refuse to Take Giants Lightly

The Ravens are projected to steamroll the Giants, but don't tell them that.

Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh reacts against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While most of the football world is anticipating one of the most lopsided games of the NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens are choosing not to get caught up in the outside noise. 

The Ravens, one of the league’s roster juggernauts who seem always to be one of the teams in the conversation every season come the month of December, are again in the thick of things in the AFC. At 8-5 overall, they sit in the fifth seed of the conference playoff race, but their talent and performances on the field have them standing at the peak of Super Bowl consideration. 

As the season enters the home run stretch, Baltimore finds itself eager for more and seeking to regain some ground in the North division. They are slated two games back of the Pittsburgh Steelers at 10-3 after suffering close losses in two of their last three contests.

In search of a strong run to finish off their regular season schedule, the Ravens' goal starts in East Rutherford in Week 15. The Ravens flock to MetLife Stadium to take on the 2-11 New York Giants in a matchup that nearly everyone outside of the two organizations thinks is geared up to be a clinic for the visiting franchise. 

The Ravens aren’t listening to all that chatter, though. They are coming off their bye week rested and reinforced to start their run to the postseason against arguably the worst team on their calendar this year. However, they aren’t going to just flip past the Giants without giving them the proper respect and preparation they deserve. 

“The challenge is playing the team that we’re playing, and this team has really good players, and this team has a lot of motivation to play well. They're going to be motivated to win the game,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told local reporters this week.

“That's the way it is in the National Football League. There's no difficulty in getting ready for a team, we understand how good every single team is. The New York Giants are a very talented, very tough [and] very well-coached football team. They're very capable, and we’re going to have to play our best football to win the game. That's what we’re focused on.” 

Not only is the game being viewed as a soft landing spot for the Ravens, it is also one that they need at this point in the season. The team is being faced with one of the most unique stretches of anybody in the final four weeks by having three of those contests laid out over an 11-day window that will require much physical and mental fortitude.

Along with the Giants, the Ravens will have a rematch with the Steelers the following week, who took an 18-16 win away in Week 11, and matchups with the Texans and Browns to close off the regular season. It would behoove them to snag what feels like an easy win in their trip to New York to get the momentum rolling in their favor. 

For those on the outside, buying Harbaugh’s words on the Giants is probably a tough sell. Aside from their record, the Giants' roster is falling apart in all three phases as injuries bedevil them near the end. Their offense is performing at the lowest rates in the NFL, and their defense has been getting pounded on the ground weekly with a huge task ahead in Baltimore’s lead back Derrick Henry. 

Still, the Ravens know they cannot listen to all the attention placed on the numbers between the two teams. They’ve been here before, and the poignant reminder of their Week 2 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that also sits at 2-11 and was underestimated ahead of that game, is seared into their minds as they prepare for the Giants. 

A team they recognize is another locker room full of professionals trying to earn their way and are still hungry for a win down the stretch, so they are doing all they can to throw the record and the narratives aside and bring their best football to the field.

“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 2-10 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.

“You’ve got to win every game in this league. [It] doesn’t matter the situation, what week it is, who’s on the other side, who’s not on the other side; if they’ve got 11 guys out there, and there’s a football, then you’ve got to win the game.”

The Ravens don’t believe there is much of a dropoff from the Giants and the rest of the competition they’ve faced this season. Even with the relentless injuries and a lack of offensive firepower, the Giants have found ways to keep many of their hams within one-score affairs. 

The most recent example came last Sunday against the New Orleans Saints when the Giants turned the game into a defensive stalemate by stunting the Saints offense with a crew of under-experienced players from the bench and practice squad. 

The Giants nearly made enough plays to put the team in position to score points and win, but a few faulty penalties and a missed kick ultimately got in the way, resulting in a 14-11 loss. Still, they were able to secure two sacks after weeks of goose eggs and stifle the New Orleans run attack to under 100 yards, which was poised to haunt them. 

It might come as a surprise to read, but that could become a similar situation on Sunday, especially with the elements that could come into play inside MetLife Stadium. Baltimore has spent part of their week bracing for the rainy and potentially windy weather forecast, including in the special teams realm where they’ve seen some rare struggles in the last month of the season. 

It all sets up for that infamous “trap game” that the NFL has seen haunt teams in recent seasons. That game already marred the Ravens in that mid-September loss that they let slip from their grasp, and it is impacting their place in the current standings.

The Ravens want to avoid that scenario by all means necessary, and they know that requires playing their cleanest and wholesome style of football. The Giants will still be motivated to bring it to them, and so the energy will have to be matched or surpassed to avoid another disaster like the last time they stepped into the arena with New York and lost a stunner in 2022. 

The game means a lot more than a superstar-filled team against a 2-11 franchise heading for more changes and a top draft pick in the offseason. It’s a chance to take of business and show the league why Baltimore deserves to remain in the playoff discussion. 

“I think you just take it one game at a time, focus on what we need to do, execution-wise, on all three phases, and go out there and practice that and let it [translate] into the game,” Henry said. “[We’ll] just focus on what we need to do – not so much the opponent – and not killing ourselves and just go out there and play our style of football to give ourselves the best chance to win.” 

Added his teammate and experienced postseason pro in inside linebacker Roquan Smith:

“Treat it like the playoffs. Treat it like the playoffs – every game, each and every play. Treat it like it’s your last, because it very well could be, regardless of how you want to approach it, knowing that there are other games that are guaranteed, but you’re not guaranteed another play; anything can happen. So, just having that type of mindset and [playing] with no governor, no ceiling on yourself – each and every guy – and the sky is the limit.” 

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See Also

• Giants Counting on QB Tim Boyle to Be Ready for Sunday If Needed

• Five Alarming Trends Established by the Giants This Season

• Malik Nabers Dishes on the Challenges of Dealing With Another Giants QB Change

• Giants ILB Micah McFadden Quietly Having Career Year

• Giants Have Best Chance at Top Draft Pick Per New Simulation

• New York Giants Still Rank Among Top 10 Most Valuable Sports Franchises

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