The new play-caller in Lamar Jackson has earned the complete respect of the Giants' locker room.
“Everyone always jokes that if your mom tells you to do something, you have to do it,” safety Dane Belton said. “He'll probably run the ball.”
Jackson, the Ravens' two-way quarterback and two-time NFL MVP, is coming off a bye week in which he struggled to use his legs anymore after losing to the Eagles.
After the Dec. 1 game, Jackson revealed that it was his mother who pointed out to him that “there was a lane that I had to choose to run in.”
“I'm angry because my mom…cussed me out,” Jackson said, slamming a fist into her open hand. “We're going to go after it. I'm not going to lie. I can't wait for this bye to be over. The Giants are coming. We're ready. … She's right. I'm going to put my efforts behind me. I intend to.”
Consider this a warning to the Giants, who lost by 16 points at home against the Ravens on Sunday.
Jackson controls the NFL's top total offense (422.5 yards per game) and third-best offense (29.5 points per game).
He ranks seventh in passing yards (3,290) and 24th in rushing yards (678) (first among quarterbacks).
“This guy is one of the best players in the National Football League, and he's not only the best quarterback,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “He's dynamic in every aspect of his game. If he's not running, he's throwing. If he's not throwing, he's running. He can do it all. He sees He's a really fun player, except when you're preparing to play against him.”
Jackson faces a big challenge any given week.
Now add some extra motivation to be a good son.
“Mom's words mean something, so he's definitely going to try to run the ball a little more than he did,” edge rusher Tomon Fox said. “If Mommy tells me to do something, I'll do it.”
It was only two years ago when the Giants cracked Jackson's code, holding him to 210 yards through the air, 77 on the ground, and stealing two takeaways in a 24-20 fourth-quarter come-from-behind victory. It feels like before…
The Giants were the only NFC team to beat Jackson in Jackson's career until a bye against the Eagles dropped his interconference record to 23-2.
But the hapless Giants bear little resemblance to the playoff-bound Giants (2-11).
Adoree' Jackson, Kayvon Thibodeau, Belton and Fox are the only defensive players available Sunday and will also play in the game at MetLife Stadium on October 16, 2022.
Thibodeau had his first career sack with a forced fumble, essentially clinching the victory.
The biggest reason for the day's success, of course, is that Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale, who was matched up with Jackson in Ravens practices for the past four seasons, left after an ugly divorce.
“I remember in that game we stole the ball and scored some points, and no matter what happened, we just kept playing,” Belton said. “On every play we gave a constant effort, covered well and ran as hard as we could. It helped.”
As good as the Eagles' Jalen Hurts is at “push-push” and as much of a bulldozer as the Bills' Josh Allen, Jackson's ability to escape creates an embarrassing factor on missed tackles.
“If you try to tackle him one-on-one, it's going to be tough,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “He might be in a hurry, but then he's gone. He's somewhere. He's manipulating the pocket. He's moving forward and then backwards. Probably more than 10 seconds. There are many plays like this, and they are extended.”
The Giants list five defensive starters on the injury report, but that doesn't include two who are out for the season (Dexter Lawrence and Tyler Nubin).
It was a season in which cornerback Tre Hawkins ended a defenseman's NFL-record 11-game interception drought and suffered a season-ending injury in the same game.
“The biggest thing for us this week is to stop giving up runs, which is easier said than done,” rookie linebacker Darius Muasau said. “I'm sure everyone saw what he said. When mom speaks, everyone listens. I'm sure it's universal.”
