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New York Giants defense had no answers for Baltimore Ravens rushing attack in Week 16

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The New York Giants suffered a brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens today. This was largely considered to be a must-win game as the Giants are pushing to narrowly win their division and make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Giants were not able to pull out this win and lost to the Ravens by a score of 27-13. The Giants were playing from behind for the entirety of this game as Baltimore cruised ahead to their tenth win of the season.

The Ravens have the best rushing attack in the NFL. Heading into this game, Baltimore had run for 100 yards in every single game this season. They had totaled 200 or more rushing yards in four games this season. With a dominant performance on the ground on Sunday, the Ravens pushed the total to five 200 yard rushing games in 2020.

The Ravens ran all over the Giants

The New York Giants could not stop the Baltimore Ravens’ rushing attack on Sunday. Granted, every team has failed to shut down the Ravens’ run game. But New York’s defense was dominated by the Ravens’ offense on the ground.

The Ravens had numerous runners thrash the Giants in Week 16. The Baltimore Ravens averaged 6.2 yards per rushing attempt. Their leading rusher, Gus Edwards, had 15 carries for a total of 85 yards. Edwards was not the only rusher to reach 80 yards on the ground, though. Quarterback Lamar Jackson totaled 80 rushing yards on 13 carries. On top of that, the Ravens had a third rusher near in on 80 yards. Rookie running back J.K. Dobbins ran the ball 11 times for 77 yards.

The Baltimore Ravens’ offense racked up 249 rushing yards against the Giants. This is Baltimore’s third-highest rushing total in a single game this season.

The Giants’ defense had no answers for the Ravens’ rushing attack. Baltimore was able to score two touchdowns through the air today, but they were set up by the running game. The Ravens totaled only 183 passing yards against the Giants. Lamar Jackson took what the defense gave him in the passing game, but Baltimore did nearly all of their damage in the running game.

Despite this disappointing loss, the Giants are still alive in the playoff hunt. But in order for them to secure the NFC East, New York needs to be better on both sides of the ball. The Giants will play the Dallas Cowboys next week in another must-win matchup. Dallas ran the ball for 151 yards today and has eclipsed 100 rushing yards in nine of their fifteen games this season. If the Giants want to go to the playoffs, they need to improve their run defense immediately.

New York Giants need a Pro Bowl level performance from Evan Engram in Week 16

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New York Giants, Giants, Evan Engram

The New York Giants will be playing a crucial, playoff-like matchup in Sunday’s Week 16 matchup. New York needs to win this game to stay alive in the playoff race. The Giants will travel to Baltimore to play the 9-5 Ravens who are coming off of a dominant Week 15 performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Giants on the other hand are coming off of a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns. New York scored a total of six points in their Week 15 loss, failing to reach the end zone even once in that game. With Daniel Jones out of the lineup, New York failed to put together any big, scoring plays.

This week, Daniel Jones will return as the Giants’ starting quarterback. New York needs a big game on offense to match Baltimore’s explosive offensive attack. The Giants will need to rely on their offensive playmakers to keep them in this game and give them an opportunity to win. Evan Engram is the Giants’ best playmaker on offense, being selected to the 2021 NFL Pro Bowl, and he needs to have a huge performance to keep New York’s offense afloat against the Baltimore Ravens.

Evan Engram vs the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have been slightly above average against tight ends this season. They have only conceded 5 touchdowns to the position this year but have allowed tight ends to gain an average of 51.6 yards per game. Evan Engram is averaging a career-low of 40.9 yards per game this season, so this could be an opportunity for him to have a big performance.

Last week against the Browns, Evan Engram had a decent performance. He was targeted 7 times and hauled in 4 receptions for a respectable 46 receiving yards. This was a solid bounce-back performance for Engram who totaled 40 receiving yards in Week 13 and Week 14 combined.

This week, it was announced that Evan Engram had been selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. Many Giants fans were confused as Engram is a polarizing player whose inconsistency frustrates fans. Having a clutch, Pro Bowl-level performance against the Ravens is a  good way for Engram to prove these disgruntled fans wrong.

New York Giants to face another strong rushing attack against the Ravens in Week 16

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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.

Report: New York Jets land ILB Patrick Onwuasor

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New York Jets, Patrick Onwuasor

The New York Jets have signed ILB Patrick Onwuasor. Onwuasor has started 31 games in the past three years for the Baltimore Ravens. Onwuasor was seemingly the man who would take over for C.J. Mosley when he joined us last offseason. After playing 14 games and only starting 6, it was apparent that Onwuasor is better suited as a situational linebacker. Now he joins the New York Jets and will fit right into Gregg Williams’s defense.

How does he fit?

Onwuasor is a unique inside linebacker. He’s good against the run but a very below average coverage guy. He shines when he blitzes. Last season he had 3.0 sacks, 5 TFLs, and 6 QB Hits. He is a very good situational guy. Where Hewitt, Burgess, and Cashman can be depth pieces to fill in for Willamson and Mosley if they go down again, Onwuasor can be used in a multitude of scenarios.

Onwuasor can provide an inside pass rush, and that ability is something the Jets could use. Jordan Jenkins and Jamal Adams were their lead pass rushers last year. Jamal is a phenomenal player, so he often takes up double teams when he blitzes. Now Onwuasor can come in, in those situations, and capitalize off those double teams with a stable inside pass rush that could see him produce solid numbers. He is definitely a unique signing, but he will likely be a guy Gregg Williams has a lot of fun with this upcoming season.

What’s Next For Defense?

The Jets still need to improve their edge rush. Although they resigned Jordan Jenkins and will likely pick at least one edge rusher, the spot still could use a few more guys. Vinny Curry is a guy the Jets have targeted to bring a situational edge presence. The Jets could also still target Jadeveon Clowney, but it seems unlikely.

As for inside linebacker, the Jets are now loaded with talent. Mosley is the number one guy, Willamson is a talented number two. Burgess and Hewitt showed flashes of real production last year, and Cashman was a solid special teamer. With that said, Williamson would save the Jets some money if he was cut or traded, although he’s a fan favorite, with so much depth at inside linebacker, you have to wonder if his days are numbered.