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Each Ravens loss seems more agonizing than the last. They outplayed the New York Giants on both sides of the ball but threw away points with presnap penalties, errant throws from quarterback Lamar Jackson and poor execution on third down in a 24-20 loss. Jackson’s fourth-quarter interception was the final dagger, leaving the Giants just 13 yards to go for a game-winning touchdown.
Players of the game
RB Kenyan Drake: After he showed flashes the previous week, Drake broke out for his finest game as a Raven, gaining 119 yards on just 10 carries. He took advantage of excellent blocking to go 30 yards untouched for the team’s first score and broke four runs of 15 yards or more, making a case that he should have a role in the team’s backfield even when J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are fully healthy.
TE Mark Andrews: On a day when Jackson struggled to connect with any other pass catcher, Andrews produced his usual excellent game with seven catches on 11 targets for 106 yards and a touchdown. Defenders know he will be Jackson’s first option on third down and in the red zone, but he’s still lapping the rest of the team in every meaningful receiving statistic.
DT Calais Campbell: In his 15th season, Campbell is not the pass rusher he once was but still finds a way to be one of the Ravens’ top defenders most weeks. He picked up his second sack of the year against the Giants and finished with four tackles and two quarterback hits.
Snap-count analysis
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh played just 57% of defensive snaps after he had played at least 81% in each of the previous five games. His workload seemed to plummet after he was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third quarter. With safety Marcus Williams on injured reserve, Geno Stone started but did not play every snap as Williams generally did. First-round pick Kyle Hamilton played his largest role since Week 2 with 29 defensive snaps, and practice squad call-up Ar’Darius Washington saw his first action of the season with 12. The Ravens did not use either of their backup cornerbacks much, with Brandon Stephens playing 19 defensive snaps and rookie Damarion “Pepe” Williams 16. Rookie defensive tackle Travis Jones played a career-high 58% of defensive snaps. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald also leaned more heavily on linebacker Malik Harrison, who played 55% of defensive snaps compared to 30% the week before.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley played all but eight of 59 offensive snaps, more than expected because his rotation partner, Patrick Mekari, moved to the right side to fill in for injured Morgan Moses. Stanley said his surgically repaired ankle held up well. Andrews has played at least 90% of offensive snaps four weeks in a row, a level he hit just once in 2021. Drake took most of the work at running back after Dobbins’ knee tightened up in the first half. Rookie tight end Isaiah Likely played a season-low 13 offensive snaps and has fallen below Josh Oliver on the depth chart. Even in the absence of No. 1 wide receiver Rashod Bateman, James Proche has not convinced Ravens coaches he belongs on the field. He played four offensive snaps, his lowest total in the last three weeks.
Number crunch
117: How many seconds the Ravens have trailed in their three defeats.
7: Ravens’ yards per play, including a season-best 8.8 yards per rushing attempt.
3.8: Giants’ yards per play.
3: Jackson touchdown passes over the last three games after he threw 10 over the first three.
Quote of the day
Stanley on frustrations rising within the team: “I think the only frustrations I sense is that we know how good we can be, and we know that a lot of these issues are self-inflicted. When you are your own biggest enemy, I think that’s really something that can frustrate anyone.”
Next up
Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday, 1 p.m.
As miserable a Sunday as the Ravens endured, the Browns experienced worse in a 38-15 blowout loss to the New England Patriots on their home field. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw two interceptions, and the Patriots held superstar running back Nick Chubb to 56 yards as Cleveland dropped its third straight game to fall to 2-4. The Browns have floundered on defense, allowing more points than all but three other teams and ranking 24th against the run.
Offensive snap counts
Ben Powers G 59
Kevin Zeitler G 59
Lamar Jackson QB 59
Tyler Linderbaum C 59
Mark Andrews TE 54
Ronnie Stanley T 51
Patrick Ricard FB 45
Demarcus Robinson WR 45
Devin Duvernay WR 40
Patrick Mekari T 37
Kenyan Drake RB 34
Morgan Moses T 30
Josh Oliver TE 21
J.K. Dobbins RB 16
Tylan Wallace WR 13
Isaiah Likely TE 13
Nick Boyle TE 5
Mike Davis RB 5
James Proche WR 4
Defensive snap counts
Chuck Clark SS 65
Marlon Humphrey CB 65
Marcus Peters CB 59
Patrick Queen LB 55
Geno Stone SS 49
Jason Pierre-Paul LB 47
Justin Madubuike DT 45
Calais Campbell DT 43
Josh Bynes LB 40
Travis Jones DT 38
Odafe Oweh LB 37
Malik Harrison LB 36
Kyle Hamilton FS 29
Broderick Washington DT 26
Brent Urban DE 24
Brandon Stephens CB 19
Damarion Williams DB 16
Ar’Darius Washington FS 12
Jeremiah Attaochu LB 8
A.J. Klein LB 3
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