Giants' defense may be in for a rough day vs. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson

In so many words, Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen acknowledged the task at hand is going to be difficult.

Remarkably so. Exceptionally so.

“He’s a special player,” Bowen said. “Special player. MVP candidate every single year. Continues to get better and better and better each year. Playing at a really high level right now.”

He was talking about Lamar Jackson, who, along with his Ravens teammates, will spend Sunday afternoon facing the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

And even before one snap has been taken, the quarterback is very much on Bowen’s mind.

“The [explosive plays of more than 15 yards] are showing up in the run game and the pass game for them,” Bowen said. “And then just the ability to create, whether he’s taking off with it and gaining yards or he’s buying time in the backfield and letting those playmakers they have out there uncover and he finds ways to get the ball down the field.”

That is an understatement.

The 27-year-old dual-threat quarterback is authoring a brilliant 2024 season. Jackson has completed 67% of his passes (254-for-379) for 3,290 yards and 29 touchdowns against three interceptions. His 678 rushing yards (52.2 per game) leads all quarterbacks. His total of 111 carries ranks second behind Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts (132).

“This guy’s one of the best players — not just best quarterbacks, best players — in the National Football League,” coach Brian Daboll said. “He’s dynamic in every facet of the game. If he’s running it, then he’s not throwing it. If he’s throwing, he’s not running. He can do it all. He is really a fun player to watch, not when you’re getting ready to play him. He’s a dynamic football player.”

Who, by his own admission, is coming into the game against the 2-11 Giants “mad.”

Because of, oddly enough, his play.

During his postgame availability after the Ravens’ 24-19 loss to the Eagles on Dec. 1, Jackson said his mother, Felicia Jones, was something more than irked that the two-time NFL MVP ran only eight times.

“She just cussed me out,” Jackson said, according to the Ravens’ team website. “ . . . She said there were lanes I should have taken and ran. I was just trying to let guys develop routes. We had developing routes. I was just trying to go through my progression, but yeah, she [was] right.”

Jones had a point, given that Jackson gained 79 yards on those eight rushes.

It also should be noted that Jackson completed 23 of 36 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

“He’s got a great surrounding cast with him,” Daboll said. “You can make a highlight reel with a lot of plays on it with this guy. If he’s not running it, he’s giving it to [running back] Derrick Henry, [wide receiver Zay] Flowers, [wide receiver Rashod] Bateman and the tight ends that they have. It’s an explosive team that scores a lot of points. They’re hard to defend.”

The Ravens (8-5) enter the game with the league’s third-highest-scoring offense, averaging 29.5 points per game. Only Detroit (32.1) and Buffalo (30.5) are averaging more.

Baltimore’s explosive offensive unit often forces opposing defenses into unfavorable situations. Add to that Jackson’s maneuverability in and out of the pocket, and the Ravens can make plays even when it appears an opposing defense has them well-scouted.

“The thing about him is you could be rushing, you could have a good rush, and then he’s gone,” Bowen said. “He’s moving the pocket. He’s manipulating the pocket. He’s stepping up and he’s moving backwards. He’s got really good movement skills and feel for rushers inside the pocket, when he’s able to escape, when he should escape and when he should slide left or right to create a little bit more time.”

Notes & quotes: QB Drew Lock (heel, left elbow), G Jon Runyan (ankle), LB Bobby Okereke (back), and DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck, shoulder) did not practice. G Jermaine Eluemunor (quadriceps), OT Evan Neal (hip, ankle), C John Michael Schmitz (neck), G Josh Ezeudu (knee) and WR Malik Nabers (hip) were limited.