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Players to Watch in Week 15 matchup

PLAYERS-TO-WATCH-WEEK-15

The Giants return to MetLife Stadium for the second consecutive week as they host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15.

Despite a strong defensive showing, the Giants fell short last week, losing to the New Orleans Saints, 14-11. The Ravens are coming off their bye, but the last time they took the field, they lost at home to the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-19.

Here are five players to watch in the Week 15 matchup.

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Tyrone Tracy picked up just 45 yards on the ground against the Saints last week, although his five receptions for 38 yards resulted in him finishing with 83 yards from scrimmage. The rookie running back was also able to find the end zone for the fifth time in the last eight games, putting him in third behind Bucky Irving and Jayden Daniels for most rushing touchdowns among rookies this season.

The first-year back has seen his usage in the passing game increase in recent weeks, with 28 or more receiving yards in each of the last three games and a total of 11 receptions for 99 yards during that span. His 10 targets matched Malik Nabers for the team-lead against the Saints. Tracy's 664 rushing yards rank second among all rookies, while his 880 total yards from scrimmage comes in as the fourth-most. Tracy is averaging an impressive 4.7 yards per carry on the season, although he faces his toughest challenge yet this weekend. The Ravens' defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL in both total rushing yards and rushing yards allowed per attempt. Only four teams have been able to top 100 yards on the ground against Baltimore this season.

View photos of the Giants on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

WR Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers once again led the Giants' passing attack this past Sunday with his 79 receiving yards on five receptions. Since Week 8, Nabers has received no fewer than nine targets in a game, with an average of 11 targets per game over the last six outings. Nabers and Tracy are the first rookie tandem in Giants history in which each player averages at least 65 scrimmage yards in 10+ games. The last NFL team with two rookies averaging at least 65 yards in 10 or more games was the 2006 New Orleans Saints, who featured wide receiver Marques Colston (74.1-yard average in 14 games) and running back Reggie Bush (81.7-yard average in 16 games).

Despite missing two games earlier this season with a concussion, Nabers still ranks third among all rookies with 819 receiving yards, while his 80 receptions rank second. The rookie receiver has lined up on the outside on 75.2 percent of his snaps this season, according to Next Gen Stats, which has led to 97 targets, 58 receptions and 669 receiving yards. The yards are the ninth-most from an outside alignment in the NFL and the most among all rookies. Nabers is likely to see a lot of cornerback Nate Wiggins in coverage, with the rookie corner allowing just a 43.8 completion percentage this season, the second-lowest among 107 outside CBs with 25 or more targets. Overall, though, the Ravens' defense has allowed the most passing yards in the NFL.

TE Daniel Bellinger

Theo Johnson was placed on injured reserve last week, which paved the way for Daniel Bellinger to play his highest snap share of the season by a wide margin. Bellinger was on the field for 78 percent of the team's offensive snaps against the Saints after not playing more than 36 percent of the snaps in any game prior to Week 14. It should not come as a surprise that the significant increase in playing time led to the third-year tight end's biggest outing of the season.

Bellinger matched Tracy and Nabers with five receptions, which he took for 45 yards. Heading into Week 14, Bellinger had just three receptions for 31 yards on the season. The 24-year-old has a good opportunity to keep the production rolling against a Baltimore defense that has struggled to slow down tight ends this season. Through 13 games, the Ravens have given up the fifth-most receiving yards to tight ends (825), while their 75 receptions surrendered to the position is tied for the seventh-most.

OLB Brian Burns

After going two straight games without getting to the quarterback, Brian Burns had a strong performance against the Saints. The veteran outside linebacker picked up his seventh sack of the season in addition to his second forced fumble, while adding two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. According to Pro Football Focus, Burns led the Giants with five total pressures, marking his sixth game this season with five or more pressures.

Burns is now up to 47 total pressures on the season, seven more than his 2023 total which came across 16 games. He has now reached seven sacks in every season of his NFL career, while his eight passes defensed are already twice as much as his previous career-high. Burns and the rest of the Giants' pass rush will have their hands full this weekend, as Lamar Jackson is one of the league's most difficult quarterbacks to take down. The Ravens have allowed just 19 sacks this season, tied for the third-fewest in the league. However, the Eagles were able to take Jackson down for three sacks in the Ravens' last game back in Week 13.

ILB Micah McFadden

The Giants' run defense has struggled for most of this season, but the unit put together perhaps its most impressive performance of the year last week. Saints running backs Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams combined for 30 rush attempts on Sunday, but totaled just 81 yards on those carries, good for an average of 2.7 yards per carry. Micah McFadden played a significant role in the unit's success against the Saints as he finished with a career-high five tackles for loss, all of which came in the run game. In fact, McFadden stuffed six Saints rushes for no gain or a loss, the most in a game by any defender this season. His 15 run stuffs on the year are now tied for the fifth-most in the NFL.

Whether or not Bobby Okereke is able to play this weekend, the Giants are going to need McFadden and the rest of the run defense to step up in a big way. The Ravens enter Week 15 ranking No. 1 in the NFL in both total rushing yards and rushing yards per attempt, while their 407 rush attempts are the fourth-most. Running back Derrick Henry is not only one of the most talented running backs in the NFL, but he is also the most physically imposing running back. The 30-year-old back is averaging a career-high 5.9 yards per carry with a league-high 13 rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jackson's 6.1 yards per carry is tied with Saquon Barkley for the highest in the NFL, with the mobile quarterback totaling 678 yards on the ground this season.

View rare photos of the all-time history between the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens.

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