The week that hyped up Lamar Jackson felt like a Brian Daboll setup.
It was as if Jackson was preparing everyone for what would happen when he took the field, weakened and facing an overwhelming Giants defense. It's as if Daboll had anticipated Jackson's impressive performance and knew Jackson would likely perform in stark contrast to what the Giants quarterback is capable of accomplishing in a game that is always a mismatch. It was.
It was as if Daboll wanted to shine a light on what the Ravens have and what the Giants desperately need to find.
“So it’s a pretty important position; [Jackson] He's one of the best players in the league, and you can see that in action,” Daboll said.
Yes, we've all seen it. No one saw anything in the Ravens' 35 games, but the Giants' 14 came as a shock, or even mild surprise. Jackson was given the rest of the day off with more than six minutes remaining, but he still completed 21 of 25 for 290 yards, five touchdown passes, and 65 rushing yards, single-handedly giving owners a fantasy football playoff run. He left a number that could have won the game. His passer rating was 154.6. The Giants started two quarterbacks. Tommy DeVito started, completing 10 of 13 for 68 yards, but missed the second half with a concussion. Tim Boyle made his Giants debut, completing 12 of 24 for 123 yards, one touchdown pass, and one interception.
Once the Giants decided to bench (and then release) Daniel Jones after Week 10, this was the way to go. It didn't really matter whether Daboll went to DeVito first and then Drew Lock, or whether he chose Lock first and then pivoted to DeVito. It reminds me of the old line about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Just superficial changes that make the disaster look a little different along the way.
With more than six weeks left in the season, who is the Giants' quarterback has become less important and who will be their quarterback in 2025 has become the most compelling storyline. Of course, it was too early to make such speculations, but rational thinking and propriety fly out the window at times like this. Of course. Why focus on the players who don't return when the argument between Shedule Sanders and Cam Ward and throwing two-way cornerback-wide receiver Travis Hunter into the mix is much more convincing? I wonder if it is? Tanking isn't realistic, but an impending first or second pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is very realistic.
The Ravens' selection of Jackson with the 32nd overall pick in 2018 is now legendary, giving the team hope that they might land a franchise quarterback even if they wait. I wish you the best. It happens, but it's rare, and the usual course of action is to attack quickly, knowing full well that the odds of hitting a top quarterback pick are barely 50-50. The Giants are in the game right now, and no matter who takes the shot, it will be difficult to pass the quarterback, even if there are questions about him. There were a lot of questions about Jackson seven years ago, but look how it turned out with the Ravens.
What we learned more from the Giants' nine straight losses:
— If you believe it's true that teams and fanbases can learn just as much about a player during adversity as they can during good times, that's encouraging to see what Malik Nabors has shown throughout his rookie season. . He was targeted 10 times and ended up with 10 receptions for 82 yards and his first touchdown catch since Week 3, when he had two in Cleveland. Nabors was accidentally cleated by teammate Chris Manhertz early in the third quarter and limped off the field. He returned quickly and completed 64 of 68 snaps on offense. His grade would have been higher had the Ravens not elected to grab and hold him with a pass interference penalty. Nabors was a nervous player and it was clear that he took the losses very hard at the beginning of his first season. One of the sad realities of 2024 is that Nabers is forced to learn how to deal with all the losses, even though he doesn't accept them.
—This is the first time in franchise history that the Giants have lost eight home games in a season. They are 0-8 at MetLife Stadium with one game remaining until Week 17 against the Colts. The Giants are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, and only once have they failed to win at home. It was 1974, and they were 0-7 in 14 games.
— Teams are supposed to put quarters instead of months between touchdown passes and receptions. Nabers' leaping grab by Boyle in the fourth quarter marked the Giants' first passing touchdown since Jones threw two to tight end Theo Johnson and Manhertz in a 27-22 loss to the Commanders. It became. It's unbelievable to go four games without a touchdown pass, but the Giants did it.
— Dexter Lawrence's hold on the team sack lead is in jeopardy, which makes sense considering he dislocated his elbow on Thanksgiving and was placed on injured reserve. Lawrence had nine sacks in 12 games. Brian Barnes dropped Jackson for a 10-yard loss late in the first quarter, marking his eighth sack of the season. Quite quietly, Barnes is giving his new team exactly the same thing he gave his old team. Barnes averaged 9.2 sacks per season in his five years with the Panthers, with a rookie low of 7.5 in 2019 and a high of 12.5 in 2022. The Giants traded Barnes and signed him to a five-year contract for $141 million. He's only 26 years old, so it's based on what he's already accomplished and the expected turnaround.
— Throwing five touchdown passes in a game is not common. Before Jackson did that, the last quarterback to enjoy such a prolific game against the Giants was on Dec. 20, 2015, when he threw five touchdown passes in the Panthers' 38-5 win. It was Cam Newton. The Giants finished that season, the last of Tom Coughlin's 12 years as head coach, with a 6-10 record, a bad team that bore no resemblance to this year's very bad team. In 2015, the Giants allowed an average of 26.3 points per game on offense and 26.4 points per game on defense.
— It’s remarkable how invisible Jalin Hiatt is on the field. Sure, he's not the primary target on most plays when he's in the game, but it's almost as if he doesn't look like a regular quarterback. Hyatt played 20 snaps on offense but did not attempt a single pass. The second-year receiver can't do much more than run routes. A lot of Hyatt's routes are options that will take time to develop, so some of that is in the front protection and the current quarterback. Still…nothing for a 2023 third-round pick who was expected to take another leap forward this season. In 13 games, Hyatt was targeted just 16 times and had seven receptions for 53 yards.
