The New York Giants lost their Week 15 matchup with the Cleveland Browns last Sunday night. The Browns possess one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL this season, but the Giants kept them mostly in check on the ground. It was through the air that Baker Mayfield, Kevin Stefanski, and the Browns offense did the majority of their damage.
The Giants held the Browns’ offense to only 106 rushing yards, which is far below their season average of 152.6 yards per game. This week, the Giants will be facing another AFC North team. This team, the Baltimore Ravens, also has one of the best rushing offenses in the NFL. The Ravens are averaging a league-high 172.7 rushing yards per game in 2020. The Giants need to contain speedy quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ running backs to pick up a necessary Week 16 victory.
The Ravens’ rushing attack
Not only has quarterback Lamar Jackson thrown for 2,461 passing yards this season, but he has also run for 828 rushing yards. Jackson is the Ravens’ leading rusher in a backfield that has multiple talented running backs. Gus ‘the bus’ Edwards has totaled 578 rushing yards this season and rookie J.K. Dobbins has totaled 568 rushing yards this season. This trio of Jackson, Edwards, and Dobbins has rushed for nearly 2,000 yards this season.
The Baltimore Ravens have rushed for over 100 yards in every single game so far this season. Furthermore, the Ravens have rushed for over 200 yards in four games this season. They have been absolutely dominant running the football in 2020, playing a style of football contrarian to the pass-heavy offenses taking over the league this year.
Of course, the Ravens’ offense is built around Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP. Jackson is the fastest quarterback in the NFL and is absolutely electric with the ball in his hands. The Louisville product is averaging a league-high 6.1 yards per rushing attempt and has already matched his career-high with 7 rushing touchdowns this season.
The Ravens have scored 7 rushing touchdowns in the last two weeks alone. They have totaled 21 rushing touchdowns this season. The number one priority for Patrick Graham and the New York Giants’ defense this week will be to stop the run.