Ravens Aren't Sleeping on Struggling Giants

The Baltimore Ravens don't want to fall into another trap.
Oct 16, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs with the ball against New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson (22) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 16, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs with the ball against New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson (22) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The beauty of the NFL is that even the worst teams can put up a fight against the best ones, a fact the Baltimore Ravens are well aware of.

On Sunday, the Ravens, who are well-rested after their bye week, will travel to MetLife Stadium to face the struggling New York Giants. Not only do the Giants have the NFL worst record at 2-11 (tied with the Las Vegas Raiders), but they're the only team that's yet to win a single game at home this season.

As easy as it would be for the Ravens to overlook their next opponent, they're approaching it just as they would any other game.

"The challenge is playing the team that we're playing, and this team has really good players, and this team has a lot of motivation to play well," head coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. "They're going to be motivated to win the game. That's the way it is in the National Football League.

"There's no difficulty in getting ready for a team. We understand how good every single team is. The New York Giants are a very talented, very tough [and] very well-coached football team. They're very capable, and we're going to have to play our best football to win the game. Thats what we're focused on."

Baltimore was a 15-point favorite earlier this week, the largest spread of any game this season. When New York announced Wednesday that Tommy DeVito would start in place of the injured Drew Lock, that spread increased to 16.5 points.

For the Ravens, the spread falls into the category of outside noise, which they've done their best to block out this season.

"Our expectations don't change, week to week; that's more of an outside looking in view on the game," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "[With] their record verse our record, you're just assuming something, but those guys play in the NFL, too, and they've got a lot of talent over there. I mean, we lost to the Raiders, who are 2-10 right now, so you can't really go into a game thinking that; you've got to go play every single game. So, I think we have that mindset, and we're locked in on the Giants."

Indeed, as Hamilton alluded to, the Ravens have fallen into multiple traps this season. They lost to the Raiders in Week 2 and the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, two teams that have a combined 5-21 record (and one of Las Vegas' wins came against Cleveland).

Avoiding another letdown, particularly this late in the season, is critical for the Ravens' ambitions.

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