Baltimore Beatdown staff reacts to the Ravens victory over the New York Giants.
The Baltimore Ravens exit their bye week and throttle the New York Giants, 35-14. Below are the reactions from the Beatdown staff.
Got in, got out, stayed healthy. That’s what the Ravens needed to do against the Giants and they did so perfectly. Lamar Jackson racked up five passing touchdowns, Mark Andrews set the total touchdowns franchise record, Rashod Bateman caught two touchdowns and Devontez Walker caught his first NFL pass, a 21-yard touchdown.
Head Coach John Harbaugh didn’t let the team come in and underperform against a scrub team. The Ravens’ took this seriously and it showed. The penalties continue to be an issue but that didn’t hurt them against a slouch of a squad.
This could have been some ugly, drawn-out slug-fest that overused the likes of Jackson, Derrick Henry and the defense. Instead, it was an easy victory a train ride away. Get rest and regroup as they have their rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.
— Kyle Phoenix
The Ravens didn’t mess around in New York. A Jackson Five performance by No. 8 was more than enough to overcome another penalty-filled performance by the defense. The Giants probably never reach the end zone if Baltimore was more disciplined, but covering the biggest spread of the season is never an easy feat. The early fumble threatened to derail the day, but Jackson refused to play down to a clearly inferior opponent. The biggest highlights came from unlikely contributors: a big punt return from Desmond King, Devontez Walker’s first career catch (for a TD, no less), and a late interception by Ar’Darius Washington. No one should be surprised, but dominant wins don’t come often in the NFL. The Ravens made it look easy. — Nikhil Mehta
The Ravens handled their business as they were expected to do, covered the spread and most importantly, came out of this game healthy. It marked the first of three over the next 11 days with a pivotal matchup with the Steelers up next on a short week this upcoming Saturday. Offensively, it was another near-flawless performance from Lamar Jackson who reminded MVP voters why he is the reigning recipient and why he should still be in the conversation this year with his second five-passing touchdown performance of the season. They surprisingly aired the ball out more than I anticipated against a Giants defense that is among the worst against the run but it was a nice tune-up regardless. Penalties continued to be an issue, especially on defense and while some were soft and ticky-tack, there was a lack of discipline that extended drives and led to big gains. Overall, it was an encouraging bounce-back performance for a team coming off a bye and looking to go on a run in December and into January. — Joshua Reed
The Ravens expectedly handled business today in New York. Lamar Jackson had another near perfect passing day with 5 touchdowns and 290 yards as the Baltimore offense walked up and down the field against a decimated Giants defense. This was a good tune up game for the Ravens coming out of the bye as a battle with the first place Steelers waits in the wings. While the Ravens won this one easily, they simply haven’t been able to fix the penalty issue. Baltimore finished with 11 penalties for 107 yards and continue to lead the league in that category. Brandon Stephens committed multiple pass interference penalties, struggling to locate the football once again. — Stephen Bopst
Exactly what the Ravens needed. A strong win coming off the bye. Lamar Jackson got back to MVP mode with five passing touchdowns and a couple of strong runs after his mom cursed him out for not running more. Bateman continued his breakout campaign with two more touchdowns and 80 yards. The defense played strong and only allowed two scores, both on drives fueled by penalties, which continue to be an issue but some were questionable soft calls.
The most exciting part of this game were the smaller stories. Tez Walker got his first career catch and TD on a sick toe drag swag. Rasheen Ali looked strong running the ball and had a big kick return. Desmond King made his Ravens debut and had a big punt return, taking over the job from Wallace. David Ojabo reminded fans of himself with a sack. Michael Pierce had a strong return game.
The other important part was health. No major injuries occurred and starters got plenty of rest during the 4th quarter. The Ravens play again in six days on Saturday, then four days later on Wednesday so keeping guys fresh is imperative. Ravens did exactly what they were supposed to, beat up a bad team and rest starters late. — Zach Canter