Slow down league's top rushing attack
The Ravens are averaging 172.7 rushing yards per game, 5.2 yards per carry and 32.9 rush attempts per game, all of which are tops in the NFL. Their 21 rushing touchdowns are tied for the second in the NFL, one behind the Saints. Running backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins have each rushed for over 560 yards with six touchdowns, but it's the rushing production out of the quarterback that separates the Ravens from the rest of the league.
"This is a physical team," Judge said on Wednesday. "It all obviously starts with the quarterback. This guy is a different type of player in the league. You've asked me a lot the last few weeks about mobile quarterbacks and is there a transition. I think this guy is a unicorn in terms of how he can play and how he really makes explosive plays with his legs, along with the arm strength and the plays down the field he's capable of making right there."
Lamar Jackson is the league's reigning MVP, and the third-year quarterback is putting together another strong campaign in 2020. Jackson leads the Ravens, along with all quarterbacks, with 828 rushing yards, good for 12th in the NFL. Over their last three games, the Ravens are averaging 228 rushing yards per game, due in part to Jackson's dominant play. The young QB is averaging just over 10 carries per game and a league-leading 7.9 yards per try over that span.
"I think when it comes down to him, it comes down to being disciplined and fundamentally sound," Judge said about Jackson. "You have to be able to tackle in space, that's the biggest thing. We played them last year and I told the team this morning, the thing I came away from that game saying was I didn't realize he was that fast. You see him on tape running away from guys, you know he's fast, but when you see guys in person and you watch them athletically up close, that's sometimes when you have to realize that this guy's a lot better than I thought he was on tape and you have a tremendous amount of respect for him on tape."
Entering Week 16, Patrick Graham's defense has surrendered just 101.8 rushing yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry, both of which rank sixth in the league. The 12 rushing touchdowns allowed is tied for the 10th-fewest in the NFL. Going up against Cleveland's No. 3 ranked rushing attack last week, the Giants held the Browns to an average of 3.5 yards on 30 carries. The talented RB duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were held to just 71 yards on 22 attempts (3.2 avg.).
Limit Baltimore's pass-catchers
Jackson's 9.2 yards per pass attempt is atop the league while his 120.6 QBR over the last three games ranks second over that span. In those three games, he has six passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns to lead the Ravens to an incredible 33.3 points per game.
Jackson has been great when using his legs to extend plays. Over the last three games, when given 4+ seconds to throw, Jackson has a perfect 158.3 QBR. Having time to find an open receiver has helped his top pass-catchers put up impressive numbers in recent weeks. Marquise Brown has either caught a touchdown or topped 95 receiving yards in each of the last four games with a total of 17 receptions for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Mark Andrews has at least five receptions and 60 receiving yards in each of his last four games, totaling 22 receptions for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Since the start of the 2019 season, Andrews leads all tight ends with 17 touchdown receptions. Willie Snead and Myles Boykin also have three touchdowns apiece this season.
"When you talk about this quarterback, I'm sure everyone every week says we have to eliminate this guy's plays or limit how he makes plays," Judge told reporters. "The fact is, you just have to tie it back into fundamentals. He's going to have runs. You have to do a good job tackling in space. He's going to throw the ball down the field. You have to play in phase with the receivers and try to eliminate the explosive plays down the field. Greg does a great job of scheming teams up.
"Like I said initially, it's all going to come through the run game at first. But that's going to tie into the pass game, the play actions. Then if Lamar can extend it with his legs, which he's obviously very, very capable of doing, he can go ahead and really give you headaches, either by pulling it down and running it or throwing the thing over your head down the field."
The Giants' pass defense has done a great job of keeping opponents out of the end zone. The unit ranks ninth with 22.2 points allowed per game, while the 20 passing touchdowns surrendered are the sixth-fewest in the league. A big reason for this has been the defense's success in the red zone. The Giants have allowed touchdowns on just 53.1 percent of opponents' trips into the red zone, ranking fourth in the NFL. Last week, Baker Mayfield threw for two TDs and 297 yards, the most the Giants have allowed since Week 9. But that production came without James Bradberry on the field, as the Giants' top corner missed this contest after being placed on the COVID-19 list. Bradberry has since been activated and will be back on the field against Baltimore.
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5 storylines to follow as the Giants travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in Week 16 - Giants.com
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