Giants vs Ravens: Week 15 Preview

As a 16.5-point home underdog, the Giants have once again hit the bottom of the barrel. They are now playing for a top draft pick and their quarterback of the future.

Before I get into it, enjoy this clip of Shedeur Sanders and Malik Nabers having a catch in NYC prior to the Heisman ceremony this weekend. Possible future duo?

Anyway, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens visit MetLife Stadium for what should be a cake walk against a reeling Giants team. The Ravens' number one offense in yards per game faces off against a Giants defense that has allowed 353.3 YPG over the last three games.

Tommy DeVito is the starting quarterback once again with Drew Lock ruled out for this one. We'll see if he can try and make some noise against a Ravens pass defense that ranks dead last in yards allowed per game.

Injury woes continue

The Giants defense has been decimated by injury, with focal points like Dexter Lawrence and Tyler Nubin now ruled out for the season and Bobby Okereke set to miss his third straight game with what looks to be a herniated disc in his back. Tre Hawkins literally broke his back in last week's game. Luck is not on the Giants side. The Ravens are coming off of a bye and are thriving on the offensive side of the ball as they are scoring 29.5 PPG (3rd in the league), are third in the league on third down efficiency and first in red zone efficiency. The Ravens will be all gas no brakes this week against a depleted defense with what looks like a laundry list of an injury report heading into this game.

Derrick Henry is setting records yet again with six games of 100+ rushing yards so far in 2024. Lamar and Justice Hill can also run, giving the Ravens one of the most dominant running attacks in the league. Although they allowed just 2.8 yards per carry to Alvin Kamara last week, the Giants will struggle up front trying to stop the bruising attack of Derrick Henry and co. I don't foresee it going well for one of the worst rush defenses in the league especially with how many guys are going to be sitting out or hobbled by injury. It's getting tough to watch.

On offense, everyone is mostly healthy with the exception of Jon Runyan, who left last week's game with the ankle injury that will keep him out against the Ravens. Jermaine Eluemunor is set to return and will add some continuity to the offensive line. Rookie tight end Theo Johnson is on IR, but Daniel Bellinger showed some chops last week and posted five receptions for 45 yards. Malik Nabers generated 15.8 yards per reception and Wan'Dale Robinson was targeted 11 times. The weapons are all healthy and ready to go, but the big thorn in the side of the offense is the ineptitude at the quarterback position. With how bad the play has been at the position this season, it's almost as if they are running an injured guy out there every game.

The Ravens allow the most passing yards per game to opposing offenses so there is a window of opportunity to rack up some yardage. They've played a lot better in their last three games, so who knows what version of the Ravens secondary the Giants will get this week. It will most likely be difficult for DeVito to navigate regardless given he is being thrust right back into the starting role.

Did I mention it's getting tough to watch?

Offensive inefficiency is the only Giants strength at this point

I'm not kidding with this headline. They actually are great at being bad.

Yes, this actually happened in practice this past week. They can't even beat their own defense (respect to the secondary here).

They rank dead last in the league - again - in PPG, generating just 14.9 on the season. They have started three quarterbacks and released one that they signed to a $160M contract prior to the 2023 season. The ghost of Daniel Jones couldn't even save them at this point.

Right now, it's a week-to-week struggle just to muster enough yardage to be a serviceable NFL team. They put up 11 points against the Saints in week 14 and were 5-19 on third down. A 26% efficiency rating on third down is not going to help win games, especially when they make it look so hard to gain yards on first and second down. It feels like every time the Giants get to third down, there's just no way they can convert. I am not the only fan that thinks that way, and most of the fanbase probably feels that every time.

Obviously, I'm not knocking the preparation of the players or the time they put in to prepare to compete each week but there is just no consistency with the quarterback carousel and the injuries sustained. The coaching situation doesn't help either as Brian Daboll has heard the hot seat rumors for a good two seasons now and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka's foot is halfway out the door. There hasn't been a sense of continuity with this team on offense this year and it continues to show.

But isn't that the trend we've seen of recent years from the Giants?

They just aren't able to get anything humming, minus whatever that 2022 season was, and it directly affects how the players sync together. It must be so hard for a veteran in this locker room who has put his body on the line season after season to be able to confidently approach each game with positivity. I feel for these guys, because we see how much of a struggle it is week after week, and being 0-7 at home and not having won a game in over two months must be disheartening.

I hope the offense can get something going this week. Something that the fans can root for, even if it doesn't result in a win.

Conclusion

The 2024 season is all but over. There are four weeks of misery left until the page is turned to 2025. I'll be watching the rest of the season and rooting for the guys who are still competing each week, but deep down, I know change is needed once again for this organization. Who knows at this point if Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen will be back next year. This team has holes to fill and quarterback is one of them.

We'll see how week 15 plays out once kickoff commences at 1pm from East Rutherford.