The New York Giants were coming off their best overall effort this season with a stunning victory over the Green Bay Packers 27-22. There next opponent was the Baltimore Ravens led by Quarterback Lamar Jackson proved to be no easy task.
As projected this game featured solid defense and big plays from both teams and had the top kickers in the NFL going head-to-head in Justin Tucker and Graham Gano. In the end the Giants prevailed 24-20 at home with a solid defensive performance, which resulted in two late 4th quarter turnovers. Here are my top 3 reasons why the Giants won:
- Defense Repeats Encore: The Giants defense had the bend but not break philosophy by allowing 406 total yards to the Ravens offense, but they came up strong when it matters to limit the Ravens offense who were averaging nearly 29 points per game to only 20 points. Two late 4th quarter turnovers, a Julian Love interception and a Leonard Williams fumble recovery sealed the deal.
- Daniel Jones Continues to Shine: Daniel Jones continues to show his toughness and the ability of making big plays late in games that resulted in scoring drives. Jones had two touchdowns through the air with no interceptions. Jones ability to extend drives and lead the Giants to another come from behind win (4 total) leads the NFL.
- Red Zone Efficiency: Once again the Giants had a solid performance in the red zone by completing 3 out of 4 chances en route to the victory. This is the third time this season that the Giants won the red zone battle, which the old regime failed to do in previous years. In fact, the Giants would have been a perfect 4 of 4 if not for Running Back Saquan Barkley deliberately taking a knee at the 2-yard line in the closing seconds of the game to keep the ball away from the Ravens offense.
Final Thoughts: With the win the Giants have already surpassed their last season win total of 4 and will now look to continue their winning ways over the next 4 games against teams that currently have a combined record of 8-14-1 (Jaguars/Seahawks/Texans/Lions).
The Giants must not get ahead of themselves and try to follow the old football clinches “take it one game at a time” as these four games could determine the Giants playoff aspirations as the scheduled gets a little tougher over the final 7 games. Keep an eye out for my article on the Top 3 reasons after the game between the Giants and the Jaguars.