The New York Giants defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 24-20, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon to improve to 5-1 on the season.
Here are some things we learned from the stunning Week 6 victory.
Don't have to have success on the ground to win
The Giants gained just 83 yards on the ground — 16 in the first half — and still managed to possess the football three more minutes than the Ravens.
They came into the game averaging 179 yards per game rushing the football and were stymied by the Ravens’ defense most of the game averaging only 2.6 yards per attempt.
Daniel Jones took up the challenge and completed 19 of 27 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions for a 112.1 QB rating. He rushed six times for six yards and that was erased by Matt Breida’s six yards loss.
Saquon Barkley was credited with the entire 83 yards the Giants gained on the ground and ended up scoring the wining touchdown. His longest gain, however was only for eight yards.
The comeback kids
The Giants overcame a 10-point deficit in their win over Baltimore when Barkley leapt into the end zone with 1:43 remaining. It was the third time this season the Giants overcame second-half deficits of 10-or-more points to win. They did it in the season opener against Tennessee and last week versus Green Bay.
They are the fourth team ever to record three such wins within their first six games of a season, joining the 1993 Philadelphia Eagles, 1981 Cincinnati Bengals and 1980 Miami Dolphins.
The Eagles and Dolphins both finished 8-8 those years and out of the playoffs, but Cincinnati went to the Super Bowl.
The clutch football continues
The Giants should change their motto to “just win, baby” as they aren’t racking up the stats other than wins.
The Giants have played clutch football all season. They went 7-for-14 on third downs against Baltimore and 3-for-5 in the red zone. They scored 17 point on their final three drives in the second half.
On defense, they forced Lamar Jackson to turn the ball over on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter to help aid their comeback effort.
This rookie class
The Giants’ 2022 rookie class is paying huge dividends right away this year. Second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson scored the Giants’ first touchdown on Sunday and fourth-rounder, tight end Daniel Bellinger, scored the second.
Safety Dane Belton, another fourth-round pick, made six tackles and defenses a pass, and their first-rounders Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal made major contributions.
Neal played all 65 offensive snaps at right tackle and Thibodeaux made three stops on the day, had five quarterback pressures and his strip sack of Jackson sealed the win for Big Blue.