EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After fumbling the ball on the second play of the game at the Giants’ 12-yard line, quarterback Lamar Jackson seemed determined to rebound from his early mistake. The Baltimore Ravens’ star responded with a spectacular performance, throwing five touchdown passes in a commanding 35-14 victory over New York, marking the Giants’ ninth consecutive loss, a franchise record.
“I started off poorly with that turnover, and it frustrated me,” Jackson stated. “I was upset and knew I had to focus and play Baltimore football, and that’s exactly what we did.” In this, his 100th career game, Jackson achieved more touchdown passes than he had incompletions, completing 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards and achieving a quarterback rating of 154.6, just shy of the perfect score of 158.3.
Jackson showcased his precision by throwing scoring passes to Rashod Bateman for 49 and 20 yards after initially connecting with tight end Mark Andrews on a 13-yard pass for the first touchdown. He also found Devontez Walker for a 21-yard touchdown and hit running back Justice Hill for a 27-yard catch-and-run during a remarkable 97-yard drive. “He had an excellent game all around,” praised Coach John Harbaugh. “Lamar has remained focused and driven, both in practices and meetings. He’s keeping the team concentrated on the game and execution.”
This victory brought Baltimore’s record to 9-5, putting them one step closer to securing a playoff spot. Jackson’s impressive performance marked his sixth game with five touchdown passes in seven seasons, with two occurring in the current year. He has thrown a total of 34 touchdown passes thus far in the season.
Meanwhile, the Giants are struggling immensely this season, now standing at 2-12 amidst criticisms aimed at co-owner John Mara, who faced public discontent as a message banner flew over MetLife Stadium prior to kickoff, urging him to take action. Giants coach Brian Daboll acknowledged the team’s difficulties, saying, “These guys are giving it their all, but we encountered a strong opponent that played well while we didn’t perform to our potential.”
The Giants managed to score late in the second quarter with a 2-yard run by Devin Singletary and a 23-yard touchdown catch by rookie Malik Nabers from quarterback Tim Boyle in the game’s final moments. Boyle stepped in for Tommy DeVito, who exited the game due to a concussion. Boyle completed 12 of 24 passes for 123 yards and one interception, while DeVito finished with an impressive 10 of 13 for 68 yards. Nabers led the receivers with 10 catches accruing 82 yards.
“There’s nothing good about losing,” tackle Evan Neal said in disappointment. “Right now, I just want to secure a victory. All we can do is return to practice and keep working.”
Injuries affected the Giants as well; aside from DeVito, inside linebacker Brian Burns departed the game with an ankle issue but did return, while linebacker Patrick Johnson was sidelined with a knee injury. Ravens’ head coach Harbaugh announced his team is in good health as they gear up for three games within the span of 11 days.
In the upcoming matches, the Ravens will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, while the Giants will head to Atlanta next Sunday.
