How did the Ravens beat the Giants for 249 rushing yards?
Many plays were won before the ball was broken, as defensive players were in the wrong holes.
“Depending on the particular defensive call, certain guys had to use certain players in a particular game,” said linebacker Blake Martinez. Whether it’s the No. 2 receiver, No. 3, endman on the scrimmage, whatever it’s become.
“Suddenly, they started doing their shifts and moves – all the stuff they did pre-snap – which then changed your particular pre-snap alignment. Once you were out of place, they suddenly broke the ball. Now you are two places behind instead of being in the right place to start. “
The Ravens use more pre-snap moves than any offense in the NFL, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. In addition to getting the defense to provide man-to-man or zone pass coverage, movement aids in the timing of their unique run-pass option offense.
“The way I look at it is you have 11 to 11,” said Martinez. “One man has to hold the ball, so there is 10 to 11 to block. If we can fit it right, one man should be free and we just haven’t done our job for each of those plays to get that free man the advantage. “
The Giants lacked an unusually high number of tackles and always seemed to be chasing ball carriers. Martinez mentioned coordinator Patrick Graham’s in-game adjustments, listening to player feedback, as to why the storming defense improved as the game went on, but the 14-0 hole in the first quarter (on the back of 95 rushing yards) was too big to dig out. .
“You couldn’t scrape over the top or get over the attacking linemen or the fullback, whoever it was,” said Martinez. “This allowed them to have that free job.”
When a coach is directly asked about a player’s future, he sometimes feels no choice but to dance around the truth with lip service. Take what 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said about quarterback Jimmy Garappolo as an example of creating wiggle room: “I really believe Jimmy will be our quarterback next year.”
That’s different from Giants coach Joe Judge’s spontaneous vote of confidence for quarterback Daniel Jones, which was included voluntarily in a response to a Monday question about penalties for offensive lines. Judge pointed to Jones’ ball safety and decision making as reasons why he is a “key piece” for the future.
‘You always want to know,’ Is Daniel our man? Shall we continue with Daniel? “The answer is absolute,” said Judge.
“What gives us that confidence is even in games like [Sunday] where it didn’t come out perfect … you look at the tape and you see that guy operating there, performing, understanding the pressure – and not just standing there with courage like he’s been doing all this time and getting hit, but understand how to take the shot and give an accurate pass and move the sticks across the field. “
TE Evan Engram left Sunday’s game late due to an injury and met with doctors on Monday night. Judge is “optimistic” that the Pro Bowler will be able to play in all 16 games for the first time in his four-year career.