The following represents the opinion of the student reporter and does not represent the views of Loyola University Maryland, the Greyhound, or Loyola University’s Department of Communication.

Let’s get one thing straight; the New York Giants are legit this year. After beating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon, they improved to a record of 5-1. However, to say the game was unwinnable for the Ravens is just a plain lie. Early in the fourth quarter, Baltimore led the Giants 20-10 with the defense, allowing just one touchdown through three quarters.

While it’s easy to point to the defense and say that they let the game slip away, there were multiple key possessions on offense where the Giants’ defense shined. After scoring a touchdown, the Giants were looking for a stop with under three minutes remaining, and they found it. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson handled a bad snap, scrambling through the pocket and around defenders. He lofted a pass on the run, and it was intercepted by Julian Love. This gave New York great field position and it allowed them to score the game-winning touchdown.

Then, on what would have been the game-winning drive for Baltimore, the New York defense got to Jackson again, but this time sacking him. As he went down, he fumbled, and the Giants recovered it and ran out the clock for the win.

It was a series of unfortunate events for Jackson and company, as the last few minutes on the field were not a true showing of how great the offense can be. The 3-3 record is not a definition of who the Ravens can be this season as all three losses were clearly winnable games. First, the Dolphins, then the Bills, and this week, the Giants.

All games were fourth-quarter collapses that could have easily been wins for Baltimore. Their record is still good enough to keep first place in the AFC North, as they are tied with the Bengals, but have the tiebreaker win against them. Both the Browns and the Steelers are knotted at 2-4 through six games.

Of the remaining games, the Ravens could easily win at least seven or more as their schedule is not the most difficult. That would slot them at 10-7, a somewhat lower record for a team led by Jackson, but it might be enough to hold on to the first seed in the AFC North. The true test will be after the Week 10 bye as the next slate of matchups are against subpar teams.

As Coach Harbaugh put it, “We have to get better in the red zone, on both sides of the ball.” If they can do that, then fans will have nothing to worry about.

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