The Baltimore Ravens were widely expected to dominate the New York Giants following their bye week, and they largely delivered in a convincing 35-14 victory.
Despite a fumble on their opening drive, the Ravens still outperformed an injury-plagued and struggling Giants team, nearly doubling their total yardage (445 to 236). Lamar Jackson shined with an MVP-worthy performance, throwing five touchdown passes.
However, amid the positives, one major issue resurfaced for Baltimore: penalties.
The Ravens ended the game with 12 penalties for 112 yards, a total that’s unacceptable by any standard, even if some calls were questionable. The most glaring instance came during the Giants’ first touchdown drive, where Baltimore committed four penalties for 41 yards on an 80-yard march.
Penalties have been a recurring problem for the Ravens this season, making it particularly frustrating to see this issue persist after their bye week.
Head coach John Harbaugh addressed the matter post-game, stating, “The biggest thing was the pass interference calls… They called it tight. Those are tight, tightly called plays in terms of pass interference, so we have to adjust. [For] roughing the passer, you have to find a way to get off to the side. You have to find a way to do it, so we’ll be drilling it.”
“We’ll be working on those,” Harbaugh continued. “Those are technique issues we need to address and improve on. Their drives were penalty-driven—without the penalties, those drives wouldn’t have happened. So, it’s clearly something very important.”
While the Ravens managed to overcome these mistakes against the struggling Giants, such errors could prove costly against stronger opponents, like the Pittsburgh Steelers in next week’s crucial AFC North matchup. With a short week to prepare for Saturday’s game, improving discipline will undoubtedly be a top priority for Baltimore.
