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10 things to watch in Giants vs. Ravens

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DeVITO BACK UNDER CENTER

When talking to the media ahead of Wednesday's practice, coach Brian Daboll announced that quarterback Drew Lock is in a walking boot due to a heel injury suffered against the Saints on Sunday. Lock did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, which led to Tommy DeVito receiving all of the practice reps with the first-team offense this week. DeVito is in line to start his second game of the season this Sunday against the Ravens.

"I would not say he's doing great," Daboll said Wednesday about Lock. "He's in a boot. He has a heel (injury). He won't practice today. He won't be out on a practice field today. Can't tell you if he'd be ready to go right now. So, Tommy will get all the reps."

Daboll later added about Lock, "I don't think he'll go today. Can't see him going tomorrow. Hopefully Friday we can see whether or not he can end up being a two or a three. But, not there yet as of today."

In addition to the heel injury, Lock was also listed on the injury report with a left elbow injury.

DeVito started his first game of the season back in Week 12 when the Giants hosted the Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium. The second-year signal-caller completed 67.7 percent of his passes, but for only 189 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also sacked four times while adding seven rush attempts for 32 yards.

Baltimore's pass defense has struggled at times this season. The unit is surrendering a league-high 264.9 passing yards per game, while their 23 passing touchdowns allowed are tied for the seventh-most in the NFL. However, opponents are completing just 64.6 percent of their passes against the Ravens, which ranks as the 14th-lowest.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The Giants (2-11) host the Baltimore Ravens (8-5) in their final contest against the AFC North on Sunday, Dec. 15 in MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

Sunday's game will be the eighth regular season meeting between the Giants and Ravens, with the Ravens holding a 4-3 series lead. The Giants have won each of the last three home games against the Ravens dating back to 2008 and the home team has won each of the last six contests between the two teams.

The Giants' most recent victory over the Ravens was on Oct. 16, 2022, when the Giants won, 24-20, part of a four-game winning streak from Week 4 to Week 7 of the 2022 season.

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TRACY, NABERS CONTINUE TO PERFORM

Running back 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. Tracy 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.

Speaking of Nabers, the rookie wideout 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.

FILLING IN FOR NUBIN

The Giants have been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball this season. The latest starter to land on injured reserve is safety Tyler Nubin after he suffered an ankle injury during the team's Week 14 loss. With only four games remaining, Nubin's rookie campaign has come to an end after 13 games.

Despite his first season getting cut short, Nubin put together a strong rookie year. Through 13 games, Nubin's 98 total tackles are the most on the team and lead the entire rookie class. One factor that played a big role in Nubin's productivity was the fact that the rookie safety had missed just two defensive snaps all season prior to Week 14. Despite being a rookie, Nubin had developed into one of the leaders on the Giants' defense, something that his coordinator said the team will miss over the final four games.

"He's one of our leaders back there," Shane Bowen said about the rookie safety. "Him and J-Pin (Jason Pinnock), they kind of run the show, especially with Bobby (Okereke) being out here these last few weeks. So, I mean, it's big, but again, with anybody, next guy up. We've got to be ready to go. The good thing for us is Dane (Belton) has played, he's been involved, he's an experienced player. It's not like he's super raw and green and hasn't played snaps. So, I'm excited about his opportunities. Get him out there, go see what he can do, and we'll keep moving forward here."

BELLINGER 'KIND OF A SWISS ARMY KNIFE'

The Giants placed tight end Theo Johnson on injured reserve last week due to a foot injury suffered in the Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys. The rookie had started every game this season, but his injury paved the way for Daniel Bellinger to retake his spot in the starting lineup. While he had only played limited snaps prior to Week 14, the third-year tight end took advantage of this expanded opportunity.

Through the first 12 outings of the season, Bellinger totaled just three receptions for 31 yards while not playing more than 36 percent of the offensive snaps in any game. Those numbers saw a big increase this past Sunday with Johnson out. Bellinger played 78 percent of the offensive snaps against the Saints and caught five passes for 45 yards, tying him with Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy for the most receptions on the team in Week 14. Despite the limited playing time over the first 12 games, the 24-year-old stayed ready all season, something that did not surprise assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

"Belly is a guy we've leaned on here for the last couple years, so it was nothing new to us," Kafka told the media Thursday. "Bellinger is always going to do a good job, no matter what his role is. Whether it's not getting a lot of touches, whether it's getting a lot of touches and being a part of the pass game, the run game. He's kind of a Swiss Army knife in that respect, where he can play a bunch of different positions."

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

HENRY 'TOUGH TO BRING DOWN 1-ON-1'

One week after facing the tough task of slowing down Saints running back Alvin Kamara, the Giants' defense has another difficult challenge coming to MetLife Stadium Sunday. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Derrick Henry is having one of the best seasons of his nine-year NFL career in his debut campaign with the Ravens. Through 13 games, Henry has carried the ball 240 times for 1,407 yards, good for a career-high 5.9 yards per carry, and a league-high 13 rushing touchdowns. He's also caught 13 passes for another 125 yards and an additional two touchdowns, giving him a league-leading 15 total touchdowns on the season.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 247 pounds, Henry is quite possibly the most physically imposing running back in the NFL. The veteran back has racked up a whopping 51 missed tackles forced, along with an impressive 3.53 yards after contact per attempt. After spending six seasons with Henry in Tennessee, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen knows how big of a challenge his defense faces this weekend.

"I think the first thing is just the size," Bowen said about Henry. "He's an outside linebacker playing running back. He's 250-plus pounds. Runs hard. It's going to be tough if you let him get downhill. Tough to bring down one-on-one. You've got to get hats to the ball. It's going to take more than one guy. Probably the best stiff-arm guy ever. He uses it as a weapon. Just in my time there, seeing some of the things he was able to do with the stiff arm gives me nightmares this week.

"But he's a special player and we've got to make sure we do a good job of hopefully keeping him bottled up. And the thing that's unique about him is if he has the crease and he's rolling, he takes it the distance. He makes your pay, and guys don't catch him and that's showing up this year as well."

TRYING TO CONTAIN LAMAR

Lamar Jackson is putting together yet another dominant season. One year after taking home his second NFL MVP award, Jackson is completing 67.0 percent of his passes for 3,290 yards, 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Jackson leads all quarterbacks with a 116.3 passer rating on the season, in addition to his 8.7 yards gained per attempt.

In terms of his rushing, Jackson is up to 678 yards on the ground to go with his 6.1 yards per rush attempt and three rushing touchdowns. Put it all together and Jackson is playing like one of the best players in the league, something Daboll acknowledged on Wednesday.

"This guy's one of the best players, not just best quarterbacks, best players in the National Football League," the head coach said. "He's dynamic in every facet of the game. If he's running it, then he's not throwing it. If he's throwing, he's not running. He can do it all. He is really a fun player to watch, not when you're getting ready to play him. He's a dynamic, dynamic football player."

Daboll added, "He's a heck of a player. Those quarterbacks that are multidimensional quarterbacks that can hurt you with their arm and their legs, those are tough quarterbacks to defend. There's a number of them that have come out here the last few years that are very difficult to defend. Each year he's played, he's gotten more experience. But he's an extremely gifted individual. He's a headsy player. He's instinctive. The moment's never too big for him. He can make guys miss with his legs. He can scramble for seven, eight, nine seconds and find guys downfield with his arm. Very good in the red zone. He's one heck of a quarterback and one heck of a football player."

HAMILTON PLAYS 'ALL OVER THE FIELD'

While Derrick Henry is considered a physical specimen on the offensive side of the ball, Kyle Hamilton offers a similar size mismatch on the defensive side of the ball. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound defender is listed as a safety, but the Ravens line him up all over the field with over 200 snaps in the box, at free safety and in the slot in addition to nearly 60 snaps on the defensive line. After the success he's had in the NFL, especially since the start of last season, it's no wonder the Ravens deploy him in numerous positions across the defense.

Hamilton was named first-team All-Pro last year after he registered 81 tackles (63 solo), three sacks, 10 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 13 passes defensed. The 23-year-old is having a similarly dominant season this year, as he has already topped last year's tackle total with 88, and in two fewer games. While the Ravens have talented players on all three levels of their defense, Hamilton is one player that you must account for on every play.

"He's everywhere," Kafka said about the Ravens safety. "He's all over the field. He plays safety, he plays nickel, he plays inside linebacker and he is a talented player. He can handle all that. He's a smart player out of Notre Dame. I remember watching him a couple years ago in that first round, as you're peeking at guys that are potentially going to be in that first round order both offensively and defensively. I know guys that liked him a lot and he was a good player."

GIANTS ROSTER UPDATES

The Giants made numerous roster moves this week, starting on Tuesday with cornerback Tre Hawkins being placed on injured reserve due to a back injury. In a corresponding move, the Giants signed cornerback Greg Stroman off their practice squad. Hawkins made his first start of the season this past Sunday and picked up the team's first interception since the season opener while adding six tackles (four solo). Stroman was out of practice squad elevations after being promoted from the practice squad three times.

The Giants also added four players to their practice squad: quarterback Tim Boyle, who was released on Saturday, two weeks after he was signed; defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who played in 44 games with three starts for Houston, Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Tennessee from 2020-23; cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe, who played in six games for the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs, and cornerback Azizi Hearn, who has never played in an NFL regular-season game.

The Giants also designated center Jimmy Morrissey as practice squad/injured.

The roster moves continued on Wednesday when safety Tyler Nubin was placed on injured reserve due to the ankle injury he suffered against the Saints. Heading into Week 14, Nubin was tied with Bobby Okereke for the most tackles on the team after he had missed just two defensive snaps all season. His rookie season will end with 98 total tackles (57 solo), four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one pass defensed.

Center Austin Schlottmann, who has spent the entire season on injured reserve after breaking his leg in the preseason, was designated to return to practice.

Additionally, the Giants signed cornerback Divaad Wilson from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. Wilson originally signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He has played in four games with one start over the last two seasons and has totaled five tackles (four solo).

The Giants also signed offensive tackle Jalen McKenzie to the practice squad. McKenzie has yet to appear in a game after going undrafted in 2022.

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

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