The Giants take on the Ravens (3-2) at MetLife Stadium this week. This is a different style of preview – please send your feedback via Twitter to @Schmeelk
When the Ravens have the ball…
Numbers to know
6.4 yards – Average yards gained on first down plays – most in the NFL
Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman uses a lot of different formations and concepts on early downs to put defenses in a bind. They have run 72 plays out of the pistol formation this year, which is the second-most in the NFL. They also use pre-snap motion and shifts at the fourth-highest rate (69.8%).
They will run college-style read-option plays, more traditional option runs where Lamar Jackson can pitch it to the back, and use Devin Duvernay in jet sweep and rushing situations. They have a variable attack that is made very difficult to defend on early downs because of the threat Jackson poses as a runner. They will also run a lot of quick passes (receiver screens or to the tight ends) for easy yards on early downs. The Ravens run play-action passes at the fifth-highest rate in the league (35%).
The Ravens have only lost an NFL-low 58 yards on negative plays this season.
41.4% – Baltimore Ravens third-down conversion rate – ranks ninth
On third downs of 10+ yards, the Ravens have only converted 1-of-12, yet they are 23-46 on all other downs. They have failed on only two third downs of 1-2 yards in 13 attempts, and between 5-8 yards they are 11-of-22. Lamar Jackson's legs help in these situations, but he only has six running first downs on passing plays; Daniel Jones, by comparison, has 15 such runs. Due to their success on first downs, the Ravens have stayed out of many third-and-long situations, with 26 of their 58 attempts going for five yards or less.
6.05 – Average yards per play gained by the Ravens offense – ranks fourth
The Ravens rank third in yards per rush play (5.44) and 10th in yards per pass play (6.97). The rushing number is skewed by Jackson. who leads the team in rushing and is averaging 7.63 yards per rush. No other player has more than 125 rushing yards (Justice Hill). The Ravens have an offensive DVOA (a metric designed to show overall offensive effectiveness) of 19.3%, which ranks second in the NFL. They average fewer plays per scoring drive than any other team in the NFL (6.58 plays).
64.7% – Touchdown rate in the Red Zone – ranks seventh
The Ravens have been one of the better red zone teams in the NFL this season - 12 of their 15 touchdowns have come through the air.
Players to watch
Lamar Jackson: Jackson will once again be in the MVP conversation. His total passing yards (213 yards per game) and efficiency (63.8%) are good but won't wow anyone. Jackson leads the Ravens with 374 rushing yards (most amongst NFL quarterbacks) but those yards come mostly on designed runs rather than scrambles. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson has only 108 rushing yards on 16 scrambles on pass plays, which ranks fifth. Jackson has been elite against the blitz this season, sporting a 136.04 passer rating when teams send extra men after the quarterback. He has thrown five interceptions, but PFF has tracked him with a 5.1% big-time-throw rate (ninth). On passes that have traveled 20+ yards in the air Jackson only has a passer rating of 75.7. His 10.4-yard average depth of target ranks fifth.
J.K. Dobbins: Dobbins is still making his way back from his ACL injury last year. He missed the first two games of the season but has started the prior three with a limited workload. After carrying 13 times in Week 2, Dobbins ran eight times for 44 yards in Week 3. He has looked better in each week, and is starting to break tackles like he did as a rookie in 2021. He had two runs go for more than 10 yards last week.
Kenyan Drake backed up Dobbins last week and carried it four times for 26 yards, though he actually played one more snap than Dobbins as the team's choice on passing downs. Fullback Patrick Ricard (6-3, 305) isoften used as a lead blocker and has five catches for 36 yards.
Devin Duvernay: With Rashod Bateman dealing with a foot injury that forced him to miss last week's game, Duvernay has emerged as the team's top wide receiver with 17 catches for 226 yards. He will line up outside and in the slot. He also serves as the team's primary kick and punt returner. He has a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this year. Bateman's is the team's downfield threat, averaging 22.1 yards per catch and coach Jim Harbaugh said he has a chance to play this week.
Mark Andrews: Andrews is Jackson's top receiving target with 32 catches (tied for eighth) for 349 yards (15th) and four touchdowns. He has 11 catches that have gone for 15+ yards. The Ravens also used him as a decoy under center last week.
Ronnie Stanley: Stanley finally made his return last week after tearing his ACL in December of 2020. He tried to play last year but had a setback and needed a second surgery. He is working his way back slowly, and played only 22 snaps at left tackle last week. Patrick Mekari played while he was on the bench.
Rookie Tyler Linderbaum is the team's starting center on an otherwise veteran offensive line. Morgan Moses plays right tackle next to veteran Kevin Zeitler at right guard. Ben Power is the starting left guard. Moses leads the team in sacks allowed (four) and pressures allowed (10), according to Pro Football Focus. Patrick Mekari has allowed eight pressures in only eight pass blocking snaps. Overall, the Ravens have allowed a 35% pressure rate, which is the ninth-highest rate in the NFL. They are not helped by Lamar Jackson, whose 3.21-second average time to throw due to his scrambling ability, is the fourth-longest in the NFL.
Keys for the Giants' defense
* Play disciplined gap-sound defense. There's so much movement and misdirection in what the Ravens do, a bad read or step in the wrong direction can mean a big play very quickly.
* Force Lamar Jackson to throw to someone besides Mark Andrews.
* Prevent Lamar Jackson from taking over the game over with his legs.
When the Giants have the ball…
Numbers to know
398.2 – Average yards allowed per game – ranks fifth
6.00 – yards allowed per play – ranks sixth
The Ravens have been inconsistent on defense this year under new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who was hired away from Michigan to replace Wink Martindale. Baltimore allowed 547 total yards to the Dolphins in Week 2 and 447 yards to the Patriots in Week 3. The Ravens have played better the last two weeks, holding the Bills in Week 4 to only 326 yards and the Bengals to only 291 yards last week.
290.2 passing yards allowed per game – most in the NFL
76 passing first downs allowed – most
125 opposing passer rating on passes that travel 21+ yards in the air – sixth-most
These numbers are a bit inflated because of the Raven struggles the first three weeks of the season, allowing 297, 461, and 302 passing yards in consecutive weeks. The last two weeks have been much better, holding the Bills to 201 yards passing and the Bengals to 190.
55% - percentage of opponent runs that go for at least four yards – most
4.95 – average yards allowed per run play - seventh-most
The Ravens' rush defense has trended in the opposite direction of their pass defense, allowing more than 100 yards rushing in each of their last three games. Their worst performance came against the Patriots in Week 3, when they allowed 145 rushing yards.
70.6% - touchdown rate for opponents in the redzone – tied for fifth-highest
34.5% - opponent third-down conversion rate
Players to watch
Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey: The strength is in their secondary with cornerbacks in Peters and Humphrey. Peters is a two-time All-Pro selection and three-time Pro Bowler. He has a nose for the football with 32 career interceptions and 90 passes defended. He will jump routes and take chances to force turnovers. arlon Humphrey is a two-time Pro Bowler and has one All-Pro selection. He has 11 career interceptions, 66 passes defended and 12 forced fumbles.
The Ravens are tied for the NFL lead with 11 takeaways and eight interceptions. Their +5 turnover ratio ranks second.
Veterans Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark play safety and they are the two leading tacklers on the team, but Williams has been placed on injured reserve. Rookie first-round pick Kyle Hamilton rotates in off the bench. The Ravens haven't featured one specific scheme more than 26% of the time. They have only allowed 13% of their opponent's passes to go for 15+ yards this year, the 11th-fewest in the NFL.
Patrick Queen: Queen is the Ravens' third leading tackler and plays off-ball linebacker with Josh Bynes. Queen is a bit undersized but has the speed to run sideline to sideline. He is used frequently as a blitzer and has accumulated 1.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits.
Odafe Oweh: According to PFF, Oweh leads the Ravens in pressures with 17, including one sack and two official quarterback hits. He will split his time on the right and left side of the defense. Veterans Justin Houston and Jason Pierre Paul are playing limited snaps and have contributed three sacks between them.
The Ravens have only managed to produce a 26.8% pressure rate this season, which is seventh-lowest in the NFL, according to PFF. They blitz on less than 25% of their pass snaps (ranks 20th) but their 29% stunt rate ranks sixth. They have a pass rush-by-committee approach with nine players having at least one sack. Their 11 sacks is tied for 12th.
Calais Campbell and Justin Madubuike: Campbell and Madabuike are one of the best interior defensive line duos in the NFL. Both players have accumulated 13 pressures this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Keys for the Giants' offense
* Control the Ravens' inside pressure from Campbell, Madabuike and their twist game
* Protect the ball on passes thrown in the direction of Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphries
* Run the ball on early downs to keep the offense on schedule
*On Sunday, October 16, the Giants will be celebrating Latino Heritage Month in partnership with Ford and supported by Dunkin' and PNC Private Bank. Fans will be welcomed with several plaza festivities, including: Sampling of Latin cuisine, live DJ, Latin style dance exhibition, Super Bowl trophy on display (weather permitting), and more. The festivities will take place on the plaza between MetLife and Verizon gates.
For more details, visit: Giants.com/Los-Gigantes
