Did the Ravens' Win Make a Statement? Pundits Opinions Differ
The Ravens went into MetLife Stadium, scored five touchdowns, and left with a win over the New York Giants, 35-14.
Pundits were unanimous in picking the Ravens to win, but were there any takeaways from the victory? The experts weren't so unanimous.
Most of the pundits said no.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec: "There was no statement for the Baltimore Ravens to make on Sunday. The New York Giants are every bit as bad as advertised and worthy recipients of the first overall draft pick come April. Beating them by 50 points wouldn't have changed anyone's opinion about these Ravens' viability as Super Bowl contenders — or at least it shouldn't have."
The Baltimore Sun’s C.J. Doon: "There's not too much we can learn from a game against perhaps the league's worst team (especially with journeyman Tim Boyle under center), but Jackson certainly didn't take the Giants lightly. He was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 13 of 14 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 55 yards on four carries. He took what the defense gave him on the ground and delivered pinpoint throws from the pocket, including a 20-yard strike to Rashod Bateman in the back of the end zone. He was in complete command."
The Baltimore Banner's Chris Korman: "The Ravens won the way they should have. Lamar Jackson played about as well as he could (bet he'd like that one long throw to Rashod Bateman back, though.) Nobody appears to have been seriously injured. Devontez Walker made a beautiful catch. The Ravens still love taking bad penalties. Not much else to take from this one. Get rested, get ready for the Steelers on Saturday and the Texans on Christmas."
The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer: "The Ravens got out of this one without any apparent injuries. Phew. They got their rookies and reserves in, too. Yay. But in a game with this many mismatches — including a fourth-string Giants quarterback replacing a concussed third-string quarterback — it doesn't feel like we learned anything. We knew Lamar Jackson was good. We knew the Ravens' penalty problem was real. We knew Derrick Henry could break a lot of tackles. But the Ravens will be going into an entirely new universe Saturday when the Steelers come to Baltimore. We'll know more then."
However, a couple did note there were things worth taking stock of in the lopsided win.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: "What did the Ravens prove against the struggling Giants? The Ravens insisted they wouldn't overlook the last-place Giants, and they backed that up by not playing down to an opponent like earlier this season. After surprising losses to the Raiders and Browns, the Ravens dominated New York. Quarterback Lamar Jackson tied a career high with five touchdown passes, and the defense tied a season low in yards allowed (236)."
The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker: "Aside from the penalties, the Ravens' defense also did its job on third down and in the red zone. Now comes the real test against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who disorient Jackson more consistently than any other opponent. What we saw against the Giants didn't tell us much about what we'll see Saturday in the AFC North's game of the year."
Don't Count Jackson Out From MV3
After a Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and Week 14 bye, all has been quiet around Jackson's MVP case. Meanwhile, both Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley have delivered impressive performances, vaulting them over Jackson in the MVP race.
But after Jackson threw for 290 yards and five touchdowns to just four incompletions, pundits are mindful to not remove the Jackson from the discussion.
"Don't count out Jackson from repeating as MVP," Hensley wrote. "Over the past three weeks, Jackson has gone from the betting favorite to win MVP to third behind the Bills' Josh Allen and the Eagles' Saquon Barkley. But Jackson put together a spectacular performance, with more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four). It was his sixth career game with five touchdown passes, which is tied for fourth-most in NFL history."
After Sunday's game, Jackson now has 34 passings touchdowns and just three interceptions this season. He also has 743 rushing yards and three scores on the ground as the two-time MVP is playing the best football of his career.
"Buffalo's Josh Allen and Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley are obviously having MVP-level seasons," Zrebiec wrote. "Yet, Jackson has to still be in the mix for his third MVP trophy."
Penalties Continue to Hamper Stellar Performances
While the Ravens won handily over the Giants, pundits shared one complaint in their victory: penalties remain a frustrating factor.
The Ravens were flagged 12 times for 112 yards, and both of the New York scoring drives were greatly helped with penalties.
Edholm: "Ravens penalties once again were an issue. The Ravens entered Week 15 as the NFL's most penalized team, and they did their best to try to maintain that mantle. ... The flurry started with four defensive penalties on a single defensive drive, giving the Giants 41 of their 80 yards and their first touchdown. That made it a 14-7 game with just over two minutes left in the first half, with the Giants getting the ball first in the second half. Had the Ravens not scored on their last possession of the first half, this would have been a bigger deal. The game was out of hand when most of the second-half defensive flags fell, but it was a continued annoyance of a season-long trend."
The Baltimore Banner's Kyle Goon: "A team as talented as the Ravens shouldn't be struggling with penalties this late in the season against a team as bad as the Giants. And yet, on New York's first touchdown drive, the Ravens gave up more yards on penalties (41) than the Giants' offense gained (39). In all, Baltimore cost itself more than 100 yards in penalties, the fourth time the team has hit that mark. They've been leading the league in penalty yards all season, and at this point it's a part of the team's identity."
Zrebiec: "If there was a blemish, it was the Ravens, who lead the league in penalties, getting called for 12 more penalties for 112 yards. Nine of the 12 were on the defense. The Ravens had 41 total yards in penalties on the Giants' first touchdown drive."
