Game of the Week: Ravens at Giants

Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco has thrown 112 straight passes without an interception. Bob Rosato/SI

Breaking down Sunday's Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants game (1 p.m., Eastern, CBS) ...

Four Things You Should Care About

1. Who are these Ravens? Are they the team that lost three consecutive games after a 2-0 start, the last one a 31-3 spanking at Indianapolis? Or are they the club that has won four in a row since then, including three straight on the road?

We should know for sure Sunday. The defending Super Bowl champion Giants are playing as well as anyone, including the undefeated Titans. Their offensive and defensive lines are among the best in the league; their running game ranks No. 1; their quarterback, Eli Manning, continues to get better and better; and their pass rush is downright nasty in obvious passing situations.

Still, Baltimore has taken on the personality of its first-year coach, John Harbaugh, who believes that no challenge is too great. Despite losing perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Jonathan Ogden to retirement in the offseason and opening the year with a rookie quarterback and an aging defense, he refused to approach the season as a rebuilding year. The result is the Ravens are tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North, although Pittsburgh currently holds the tiebreaker based on its 23-20 overtime win in the teams' Week 4 meeting.

As well as the Giants (8-1) are playing, it would be foolish to write off the Ravens (6-3). They've played only one bad game all season -- the 28-point loss at the Colts -- and their two other defeats were by a field goal each: in overtime at Pittsburgh and at home vs. Tennessee, which remains the league's only unbeaten team.

2. This is the year of the rookie QB. Matt Ryan has the Falcons challenging for the NFC South lead, and Joe Flacco has the Ravens tied for first in the AFC North.

Flacco looked like the stereotypical first-year QB through five games, throwing one touchdown and seven interceptions, five of which came in the final two games of that three-game skid. But since then he has been unflappable. During the Ravens' four-game winning streak he has six touchdown passes, no interceptions and a passer rating of 109.6 or higher in three of the outings.

The team has scored at least 27 points in each of the games, including 37 and 41 the past two weeks at Cleveland and Houston, respectively. The offense has been so potent that the Ravens have gone from 28th in scoring to 12th over the past month.

People within the organization contend that Flacco's playmaking surge can be traced to an increased confidence in himself and solid play by those around him -- the running game ranks third in the league and has had a back go over 100 yards each of the past two weeks in Willis McGahee (season-high 112 and 2 TDs on 25 carries against the Texans) and rookie Ray Rice (154 vs. Cleveland).

"He has pretty much seen it all and now he's playing the way we all thought he could play," says one member of the organization. "His [modus operandi] is that he doesn't throw a lot of interceptions, and after that rough patch he has made a conscious effort to protect the ball. He knows that he carries this team under his arm when he has the ball. One thing about him is that he doesn't get too high or low. He's smart and a good athlete."

A key for Flacco has been pass protection. He has been sacked only seven times during the four-game winning streak. Conversely, in losses to the Steelers and Colts he was sacked seven times.

The Giants rank third in the NFL with 30 sacks. They haven't had to do a lot of blitzing because their linemen generate so much pressure. Ends Justin Tuck (8.5), Mathias Kiwanuka (6.0) and Dave Tollefson (3.5) have combined for 17 sacks, and tackles Fred Robbins (5.5) and Barry Cofield (2.0) have added 7.5.

The Ravens have been vulnerable on the edges. Steelers outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley combined to drop Flacco four times, while Colts ends Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney totaled three sacks and Dolphins outside linebacker Joey Porter finished with two. That's nine total, more than half of what the Ravens have allowed overall.

"They fly around," tight end Todd Heap said of the Giants. "They're stout up front. They've got some great linebackers, great defensive ends that really get to the ball. They really put a lot of pressure on the quarterback."

If they don't, it could be another strong outing for Flacco, who has gone 112 consecutive passes without being intercepted. He also discovered the big play during the streak, with scoring tosses of 70, 47, 43 and 28 yards.

"The kid is playing good, he's a good-looking young man," Texans coach Gary Kubiak, a former backup to John Elway, told reporters about Flacco. "He has a big arm and a great presence about him moving around. If he keeps playing that way, that football team could go a long way because they have great games on the defensive side of the ball. I am very impressed with the young man."

3. Something has to give. The Giants lead the league in rushing with an average of 168.9 yards a game, and the Ravens rank No. 1 at stopping the run, allowing an average of 65.4. Could it be a case of Baltimore's will against New York's power?

The Ravens have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 28 consecutive games; the Giants have three backs averaging more than five yards a carry. Their running game has been so good the last month that QB Eli Manning has gone five straight games without throwing for 200 yards, tying the longest drought of his career.

But that is not to say the Giants are one-dimensional. In five games this year, they were within three snaps of having perfect balance between the run and pass. But they're not going to seek balance just for the sake of balance. If the running game is working, they are going to stick with it because coach Tom Coughlin knows there is nothing more demoralizing for a defense than having an opponent successfully run the ball at will.

But if opportunities in the passing game are there, the Giants will take them. And considering the Ravens put cornerback Chris McAllister and safety Dawan Landry on injured reserve this week, Sunday could be just such an opportunity for Manning and wideouts Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.

4. Will Flacco have all his weapons? Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason has played in 99 consecutive games, but that streak could be in jeopardy after Mason dislocated his left shoulder last week against the Texans.

Mason, 34, says he plans to play despite not practicing during the week -- his arm was in a sling until midweek -- but Harbaugh should protect the player from himself and think about the big picture. Losing Mason, the team's leading receiver for the year, would be a tremendous blow for the team and for Flacco.

Mason, who leads the Ravens with 46 catches for 598 yards, sustained the injury in the first quarter but returned after halftime to finish with three catches for 41 yards and a two-point conversion. If there is any doubt about his physical condition, the Ravens should sit him for a week because this one game is not going to make or break their season.

Flacco has a tendency at times to be high with his passes, which could be trouble for Mason. He knows the competitor in him will take over during games, and likely would not think about the shoulder if he had a chance to stretch high for a pass. Mason actually joked during the week that he informed Flacco of the need to be more precise with the ball on Sunday.

"I said, 'Just put it in the framework of my body and I should be able to deal with it,'" Mason told reporters.

Inside The Scouting Report

Every week, we ask an NFL assistant(s) with relevant game experience to provide an anonymous scouting report on our Game of the Week. Here's what two assistants from 2008 Giants and Ravens opponents had to say about game-planning Flacco, Manning and the Giants offensive line.

On Flacco and the Ravens offense: "We wanted to shut down their running game, use our best cornerback on Derrick Mason and put the game in Flacco's hands. It was a sound game plan, except for our failure to execute it. It would have worked well if we would have fared better against the run. Flacco showed that he is a resourceful player, but he is far from a polished product. You want him involved in the important plays if you're playing the Ravens because he's the one most likely to make a mistake. He becomes dangerous when you struggle against their rushing attack. That's what doomed us. If you can get them one-dimensional, you have a shot at rattling Flacco and forcing him to put up some balls sooner than he wants and into coverage he would rather avoid. With that said, he's an impressive player to do what he has done at this point in his career."

On the Giants offense: "Their offensive line is what makes them so good. They have been together so long. They know each other and do a good job. They pick up things. You can't twist against them. They pick it up. They do a good job. ... Manning is at his best when it comes to seeing pressure. His weakness is sometimes his mind is made up (before the snap)."

On Manning and N.Y.'s O-line: "He gets rid of the ball, he's got good knowledge of the defenses that are being played. I think pressure affects him a little bit. He'll get rid of the ball a little bit quicker. Once he starts bad, he'll stay bad. If it isn't working for him early, he kind of gets frustrated and he'll start forcing things. ... As for the strength of their line, it's not one part; it's the parts together. That's what they do the best. They are so in sync, and they know exactly what the other guy is doing besides themselves. They are very efficient with what they do. If you took them out individually, you wouldn't say they are most gifted across the board. As a group, they work tremendously together, last year and this year."

The Pick

The Ravens are a feel-good story, but the Giants appear to be a team that has hit its stride. While all the focus will be on New York's running game against Baltimore's run defense, the Giants will prevail because of the passing of Manning and the pass rush of Tuck and Kiwanuka. New York will shut down Baltimore's run game and force Flacco into obvious passing situations. And, if only for one game, Flacco will look like the rookie that he is.