#2. NY Giants at Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 PM
This game will most certainly rank in the NY Giants’ top three toughest games for the entire season. Baltimore is loaded on both sides of the ball with high-end talent in abundance all over the roster. It all starts and ends with their rockstar quarterback, Lamar “MVP” Jackson. The “Big Truss” man will give the New York defense one of its toughest matchups in recent memory.
Simply put, Lamar Jackson is a unicorn at the quarterback position. There is no quarterback in the league that possesses his raw speed and natural athletic abilities that can’t be taught or reciprocated. He is a weekly highlight machine with a penchant for exposing defenders and making them look silly while whiffing at air as #8 has already run right by them.
Big Blue must do everything in its’ power to keep Lamar in the pocket and make him uncomfortable throwing the ball downfield. It’s no secret that Lamar’s kryptonite is that he is not a fully-developed pocket passer and he struggles to push the ball downfield. Just last week, it was evidently on display that Lamar was uncomfortable throwing the ball down six on his last two drives in the 4th quarter. When he did throw, it was usually a quick or short pass short of the first down line or a wide-open receiver downfield.
The Giants must reciprocate the Patriots’ defensive gameplan for the Ravens from last week. Lamar doesn’t want to throw often and his offense has become predictable as defenses have started to pick up on what made the Ravens so successful last year.
John Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He’ll have his team ready to go for this cold-weather, December game in Baltimore. Joe Judge must do the same and hope to pull a massive upset to better the team’s chances at the playoffs.