New York Giants Earn Solid Grades in 24-20 Win Over Ravens

Grading the New York Giants 24-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens

Offense: B+

The Ravens came into this game intent on slowing down Saquon Barkley and forcing Daniel Jones to beat them with his arm. While the Ravens were successful in slowing Barkley down--he was held to 83 yards on 22 carries (3.8 average), Jones took advantage of opportunities, some of which came on the heels of the Ravens' undisciplined play, to record his 13th career game with two or more passing touchdowns.

Jones finished 19 of 27 for 173 yards and had no interceptions, but he was sacked four times and hit five. Jones, by the way, is now 8-3 in his last 11 starts dating back to last year and continues to make smart decisions with the ball in his hands. So just imagine how good he might actually be if he gets better protection up front.

Tight end Daniel Bellinger recorded his second touchdown of the season, catching all five of his pass targets for 38 yards.

And kudos to Barkley for showing the discipline to give himself up after picking up the first down on the team's final drive, forcing the Ravens to burn the rest of their timeouts while the Giants ran the victory formation.

Defense: B

The Ravens gashed the Giants' run defense to the tune of 211 yards on 24 carries (8.8 average), and it wasn't until defensive coordinator Wink Martindale adjusted to stop the bleeding caused by tight end Mark Andrews, who caught seven of 11 balls for 106 yards and a touchdown.

But when it mattered most, the Giants' defense came through. Julian Love recorded the team's first interception of the year in the fourth quarter, and it was a big one.

With the ball on his own 40-yard line, quarterback Lamar Jackson fumbled and then rushed the snap on a pass intended for fullback Patrick Ricard when Love stepped in front of the pass, snagged it, and returned it 27 yards to set up the Giants' game-winning drive.

And speaking of firsts, rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux recorded his first NFL career sack when he dropped Jackson for minus 8 yards at the Ravens' 17-yard line. Thibodeaux also knocked the ball loose, which Leonard Williams recovered, ending any last chance the Ravens had to salvage the game.

Special Teams: A

Gary Brightwell finally broke a long kickoff return for 47 yards, a return that was as perfectly blocked as they came and helped set the Giants up near midfield. The offense took it from there, scoring the game-tying touchdown at the time to make it a 7-7 contest.

Punter Jamie Gillan only had one of his four punts returned by Devin Duvernay, who managed just 12 yards on that return. Graham Gano made his only field goal attempt on the day (34 yards)--and how nice is it, by the way, to see the Giants finally scoring touchdowns instead of field goals?

Overall, it was a nice showing by the special teams, which had a breakdown every week earlier in the season.

Coaching: A

Let's be clear about something. This Giants roster is still a work in progress, and general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will probably confirm that without hesitation.

But what the Giants might lack in terms of depth or basic personnel, they make up for a million times over in coaching.

While the Ravens were shooting themselves in the foot with undisciplined play--they had ten penalties in this game--the Giants only had three go against them.

And even when the Giants made mistakes--and there were a few--there was no panic, no quit, no crawling into a shell. The coaches never took their foot off the gas pedal. They adjusted as necessary (see Wink Martindale's decision to play Xavier McKinney on Ravens tight end Mark Andrews for example), and they came out on top.

Say what you want about the talent on this team, but week in and week out, Daboll and his staff have this group ready to play. The Giants aren't beating themselves like they used to. They're proving to have short memories regardless o what happens out there. And most of all, they're not reading their press clippings in which more and more people are starting to believe this Giants team is for real.

There's nothing fancy in the water at the Quest Diagnostics Training Centre, folks. There are no "smoke and mirrors" involved. This is what good coaching does for a football team--and the Giants have it in abundance.

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