Lamar Jackson and Tommy DeVito Meet for the First Time

The Ravens head into MetLife Stadium this Sunday for a Week 15 battle with the Giants. Looking to get back on track following a disappointing performance against the Eagles, the Ravens will flip their focus to the league’s last-place team. It’s been quite the year to forget in East Rutherford, as the Giants enter Week 15 at just 2-11 after yet another debacle of a season. It’ll be the third time in his career Lamar Jackson will take on the Giants and the first meeting since New York handed Jackson his first loss to an NFC team as a starter (and until the Philly game, his only such defeat), in 2022. In two starts against the Giants, Jackson has thrown for 393 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, hitting on just 58.6% of his passes. Unfortunately for the Giants, Jackson’s entering this week playing some of the best football of his career, on pace for career highs in passing yards and touchdowns this season, and seems to have a chip on his shoulder following Week 13’s loss.

The Ravens enter as 14.5-point favorites Sunday, and look to avoid falling victim to the trap game, while leaving with some momentum ahead of their Steelers matchup in Week 16.

Jackson’s Path to Victory

That spread of 14.5 points marks the largest in the Ravens’ favor since 2019 against the Jets (-17). However, the Giants defense has been the lone bright spot in a season surrounded with darkness. New York has dedicated a lot of assets to bolster their front-7, producing a legit defensive front lead by Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Giants pass rush has produced the 6th most sacks this season (38) and the 6th fewest yards allowed per game (194.7). It’s been a bit of a struggle to find success against the Giants defense this season, but with a quarterback like Lamar Jackson, the offense can explode at any time.

The Ravens path to victory this week may depend on how effective their run game can be. Running back Derrick Henry has forced the third most missed tackles this season (78) resulting in 587 yards off those missed tackles. According to NextGenStats, the Giants’ 905 yards off of missed tackles ranks 2nd worst in the league, only trailing the Browns. Throughout the bye week, the talk surrounding Jackson centered around his unwillingness to take off from the pocket. Despite what seems to be a lack of rushing from the dual-threat quarterback, Jackson still leads all passers in rushing yards with 678. Utilizing their two-headed monster in the backfield should be a key emphasis to the Ravens game plan this week.

As for the passing attack, it’s the best it’s been in the Eric DeCosta era. EDC has made it known over the past few seasons how dedicated the organization is to finding bonafide studs at the receiver position. DeCosta’s plans have begun to come to fruition this season, leading to career-high numbers for Jackson in multiple statistical categories. Jackson has continued to improve in the pocket, showing off his deep ball accuracy throughout the campaign. In 2024, Jackson leads the NFL in downfield touchdown passes (10+ air yards) with 18, and an impressive one interception on such throws. Attacking the seams has been a key in Jackson’s success. According to NextGenStats, Jackson has completed 64.5% of his passes for 10 TDs when attacking the seams. Lamar’s +60.2 EPA on such throws this year is 20.9 more than the next closest quarterback. Jackson’s success has become contagious to the weapons around him. Entering Week 15, Ravens wideout Zay Flowers has racked up 863 receiving yards, tied for 11th in the league with Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown. A strong finish from the sophomore standout could propel him into the Top 5 in the league, which would be a first for a Ravens wideout. Early success on the ground Sunday could potentially open up the passing game for the league’s best offense.

Getting Pressure on DeVito

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said on Wednesday that, with QB Drew Lock in a walking boot, he expects Tommy DeVito as the starter for Week 15. It’ll be the second start of the season for the second-year quarterback, after dropping his first start to the Buccaneers 30-7 in Week 12. There’s a reason this “feel good” story of a quarterback continues to find himself at the bottom of depth charts on back-to-back seasons. DeVito struggles to get rid of the ball, holding onto it for at least four seconds on 19% of his dropbacks last season, the second highest rate out of 39 eligible quarterbacks according to NextGenStats. When given a clean pocket, DeVito can manage the game and keep the ball out of harms way. Getting pressure on DeVito, similar to the game plan the Ravens executed against the Bengals in Week 10, could cause issues for a struggling Giants offense.

The success of the Giants offense has truly relied on the performances of their two stud rookies. Wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. have been the lone bright spots on the worst team in the league. Nabers is on pace to become the 4th rookie wideout in NFL history with 100+ receptions in a season, entering Week 15 with 80 receptions for 819 yards, and three TDs. Tracy has hit the century mark in three games this season, two better than the next closest rookie, TB’s Bucky Irving. Despite those impressive youngsters, he Giants offense has averaged a league-low 14.9 points per game this season. It may be easier said than done, but for Big Blue to have any chance, getting the ball into Nabers and Tracy Jr.’s hands needs to be priority number one against an up-and-down Ravens defense.

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