Following a wild weekend of football, the 2023 AFC Championship Game and 2023 NFC Championship Game are officially set.
The Baltimore Ravens will play host to the Kanas City Chiefs on the AFC side of things. That game will have a distinct New York Giants flavor at the wide receiver position with a familiar face also running the Chiefs’ defense.
Over in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers will host the Detroit Lions, who are busy erasing the past and creating a new story for themselves. They, of course, are led by a former Giant.
In total, 18 former coaches and players who have passed through the Giants organization will partake in the championship festivities next Sunday. Here’s a look at each of them.
Brian Bahr/ALLSPORT
Years with Giants: 1999-2002
Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Years with Giants: 2016
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via USA TODAY Sports
Years with Giants: 2017-2018
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Years with Giants: 2016-2017
AP Photo/David Dermer
Years with Giants: 2021
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Years with Giants: 1992
AP Photo/John Munson
Years with Giants: 2022
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Years with Giants: 2019
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Years with Giants: 2020-2021
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Years with Giants: 2007-2008, 2015-2017
Noah K. Murray/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants have begun searching for their next defensive coordinator following their split with Wink Martindale. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Giants recently interviewed Ravens secondary coach Dennard Wilson for their defensive coordinator opening.
Wilson has been a coach in the NFL since 2012, spending time with the Rams, Jets and Eagles before taking over as the Ravens’ defensive backs coach in 2023. He was the Eagles’ passing game coordinator and DBs coach the year prior, and also coached the secondary in Philadelphia in 2021.
Wilson, 41, is from Maryland and was a defensive back for the Terrapins from 200-2003.
The #Giants recently interviewed #Ravens secondary coach Dennard Wilson for their vacant defensive coordinator job, source said. One of the NFL’s top pass-game coordinators, Wilson was previously with the #Eagles.
The 2023 NFL regular season will come to a close in less than two weeks and the postseason will commence. In February, the league will then determine the winners of their various awards, including the honor of Most Valuable Player.
There have been several standouts this season but New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has it narrowed down to two — one of whom he will face this coming Sunday.
“I think that (Matthew) Stafford is playing at a Hall of Fame-type level,” Martindale told reporters on Thursday. “He’s a great football player, but I think that he and (Ravens quarterback) Lamar (Jackson) should be up for the MVP candidate.”
As of right now, the Ravens lead the AFC and have already clinched a playoff berth. Unless something drastic happens, they’ll likely be the top seed in the conference and secure a Wild Card Week bye. Jackson is a dual-threat quarterback who has amassed over 3,300 yards passing and nearly 800 yards on the ground in 2023.
Stafford, whom the Giants will get a good look at on Sunday, is a pocket passer currently ranked 8th in the NFL with over 3,600 passing yards. Not much of a ground threat, Stafford uses his arm to get down the field. What gives him an edge over other quarterbacks is the consistency in his play and his ability to spread the love between his receivers.
This year’s MVP race is different because there’s not really one single player who stands out above the rest. Patrick Mahomes has been okay, Aaron Rodgers played all of four snaps, Tom Brady is retired, and no one else has stepped in to steal the show.
Wink has faced a multitude of quarterbacks over the years, and as a defensive guy, he can certainly tell you which quarterbacks are good and which are easier to prepare for. Stafford and Jackson are very different quarterbacks, but both are future Hall of Famers and both are having MVP-like seasons.
The MVP race should be fun to watch this year and it will be interesting to see who ends up with the prestigious award.
Happy holidays! Week 16 of the NFL season wraps up with three games on Christmas Day:
Raiders vs. Chiefs, 1 p.m. ET
Giants vs. Eagles, 4:30 ET
Ravens vs. 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET
Let’s take a look at three of my favorite projections to target on PrizePicks.
Rashee Rice (Chiefs) more than 67.5 receiving yards
Rice has seen his role grow tremendously as the season has progressed. Over the past four weeks, he has earned an incredible 38 targets while leading the team with a 27.5% target share.
The rookie wideout has been Patrick Mahomes’ first read on a whopping 32.7% of his drop-backs in that timeframe. If Rice had posted that same first-read rate over the full season, he would rank 11th in the league, just behind the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown and ahead of the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb.
His breakout began against this same Raiders defense in Week 12 when he posted eight receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Rice has averaged 83.5 receiving yards in the four games since. He has eclipsed the 67.5 receiving yards projection in three of those four games, and the one time he came up short he was just 3.5 yards shy of the projection.
Assuming his recent volume holds up, Rice should be able to beat this projection of 67.5 receiving yards.
Darren Waller (Giants) more than 3.5 receptions
The Giants tight end missed five games because of a hamstring injury earlier this season. Waller returned in Week 15 against the Saints and hauled in four receptions for 40 yards.
He posted that production despite playing just 42% of the snaps. The Giants have clearly been cautious in bringing him back, as Waller played on at least 80% of snaps in six of seven games to begin the season. He should be in for increased playing time as he continues to move further away from the injury.
Waller has topped 3.5 receptions in five of eight healthy games this season despite spotty quarterback play from Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor earlier in the year. Tommy DeVito has arguably played better than any other QB to suit up for the Giants this season.
Giants tight end Darren Waller AP
The Giants wide receivers room lacks talent and Waller should have no trouble earning targets from DeVito this week. The game script should feature heavy pass volume for the Giants, as they project to be playing from behind.
Waller should see his playing time tick up in this game and he could be featured as the top option in the passing game, allowing him to easily rack up more than 3.5 receptions.
Christian McCaffrey (49ers) more than 120.5 rushing + receiving yards
McCaffrey leads the NFL with 1,801 scrimmage yards this season. Going into the week, he had racked up nearly 250 more scrimmage yards than his closest competitor, Tyreek Hill.
McCaffrey has averaged more than 128 rushing + receiving yards per game this season, and he has recorded more than 120.5 yards in eight of 14 games. In the two of those games he fell short of this projection he missed by fewer than 3 yards.
The All-Pro running back has at least 121 scrimmage yards in five of his last six games, including in each of the last four games.
49ers running back Christian McCaffrey Getty Images
Baltimore should be able to push back against the Niners and keep this game relatively close into the fourth quarter, which would help secure a huge workload for McCaffrey.
The Ravens defense is a difficult matchup as they rank top 10 in yards allowed on the ground and through the air, but the Niners will surely find a way to get McCaffrey in open space where he can win in any matchup.
Expect McCaffrey to rack up more than 120.5 rushing + receiving yards in what should be a competitive game to close out Week 16.
In one of the most controversial draft picks in franchise history, the New York Giants selected running back Saquon Barkley second overall in the 2018 NFL draft.
Barkley got off to stellar start with Big Blue, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. However, immediately after that, Barkley was hit with the injury bug prior to bouncing back in 2022.
A debate raged before the 2018 draft about whether the Giants should draft a quarterback. Ultimately, they did not, opting to take Barkley to boost their offense. But I made the easy choice to instead take the 2019 unanimous NFL MVP in Jackson. He is the most electric quarterback in the game — he leads the league in quarterback rush yards since 2018 (4,435) — and would have been unstoppable in current coach Brian Daboll’s offense.
Of course, when the Giants took Barkley, Eli Manning was still under center and they were still trying to win with their current roster — they were just a year removed from an 11-5 record under Ben McAdoo.
No, it’s not about his potential new contract, possible new team, or anything related to his play on the field or negotiations off of it.
It’s an actual scoop of ice cream, made to support him in search of a long-awaited new deal with the Ravens.
The Charmery, a Baltimore-based ice cream shop, has debuted a new flavor on their menu called “Pay Lamar,” which is essentially peanut butter and caramel ice cream with chocolate chips and roasted peanuts.
Think PAYDAY the candy bar — but with more of a confrontational connotation.
Charmery ice cream shop in Baltimore, who debuted a new flavor, PAY LAMAR, in support of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson returning to the team on a new contract. @TheCharmery on Instagram
As a result, they’ll have until July 17 to reach a multi-year extension before that number becomes permanent for the 2023 season.
Under league rules, Jackson is free to negotiate with other teams, but his options could be thinning as the Carolina Panthers have traded up for the No. 1 overall pick and the Miami Dolphins exercised oft-injured signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option, which will pay him a fully guaranteed $23.4 million in 2024.
The Charmery’s owner, and longtime Ravens fan, David Alima said that he and his friends “love Lamar [Jackson] and want to see him stay in Baltimore,” according to The Baltimore Banner.
The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson.Tribune News Service via Getty Images Lamar Jackson (8) was the NFL’s MVP award winner in 2019.Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“[Jackson] deserves every bit of money that he feels he deserves. Whatever he thinks he’s worth, I’m in agreement with him,” Alima added.
“I don’t proclaim to know the inside workings of the business,” continued Alima, who has owned The Charmery for over 10 years with his wife, Laura, according to the report.
“All I know is that Lamar is worth every single penny that he feels he’s deserved. That’s why I want to pay him.”
As Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline looms for NFL teams to use the franchise tag on players, all eyes remain on Lamar Jackson.
Baltimore and Jackson were poised to continue to talk about a long-term deal right up to that deadline, Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome told “The Bernie Kosar Show” on Monday.
The superstar quarterback and the Ravens have been in talks for a lucrative contract extension each of the last two offseasons, but haven’t been able to reach common ground.
Head coach John Harbaugh and GM Eric DeCosta have made their intent for a long-term deal clear, but there’s seemingly still a large gap — particularly over guaranteed money — between the two sides.
If he’s tagged, Jackson will earn a guaranteed $32.4 million on a one-year deal.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will negotiate over a long-term deal right up to the franchise tag deadline. AP
Elsewhere, the Cowboys tagged breakout running back Tony Pollard after he recorded 1,007 rushing yards, 371 receiving yards, nine rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns. All were career-highs.
The tag will pay Pollard a guaranteed $10.09 million for one season.
After previously not picking up his fifth-year option, the Raiders officially tagged running back Josh Jacobs, who led the league in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage last year, on Monday.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have tried to. reach common ground each of the last two offseasons. Getty Images
He’ll earn the same $10.09 million for one season as Pollard, giving both their respective teams another season to weigh a long-term deal and prove their breakout seasons weren’t anomalies.
Polarizing ex-Giants tight end Evan Engram enjoyed his own career year with the Jaguars (73 catches for 766 yards, both career-highs).
In return, the Jaguars slapped the tag on him Monday, earning him $11.35 million guaranteed for one year.
Evan Engram enjoyed a career year in his first season with the Jaguars. Getty Images
The Commanders will continue to negotiate with star defensive tackle Daron Payne, but the team tagged him Monday.
If Washington doesn’t reach a long-term deal, Payne will earn $18.94 million guaranteed for one year.
As they try to sort out their salary cap, the Chiefs have decided not to franchise tag left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., which will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Ninety-eight yards of running earned Sam Hubbard a spot in NFL history.
The Bengals defensive end returned a fumble from the team’s own 2-yard-line all the way into the end zone for a touchdown to give Cincinnati a 24-17 lead over the Ravens early in the fourth quarter of the teams’ wild-card matchup.
Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley attempted a quarterback sneak on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. He subsequently tried to leap and stretch the ball over the plane. As he stretched the ball out, however, Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson met him in the air and ripped the ball out.
Hubbard scooped the ball up at the 2-yard line and sprinted 98 yards for the touchdown. It’s the longest fumble recovery in NFL postseason history.
Huntley pleaded with the referees after the play, convinced that he broke the plane when he stretched out his arm.
Our NFL betting writer brings you his best Ravens vs. Browns predictions and picks for their NFL Week 15 meeting, which is live Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on NFL Network.
Without a definite answer at starting quarterback, the Baltimore Ravens visit an AFC North rival for the second straight week when they meet the Cleveland Browns as part of Saturday’s NFL triple-header at 4:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
Browns vs. Ravens picks
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Browns vs. Ravens predictions and analysis
The Ravens (9-4) overcame quarterback health issues to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-14 last week to remain tied with Cincinnati for the AFC North lead. Tyler Huntley started in place of Lamar Jackson (knee) but took a jarring hit to the head and left the game due to concussion protocol. Rookie Anthony Brown finished the job. But Huntley was a full participant in practice Wednesday and is trending toward playing against the Browns (while Jackson is not).
Cleveland (5-8) will be desperate for a win to remain barely afloat in the AFC playoff race. The Browns had won consecutive games for the first time all season when they beat Tampa Bay and Houston, but that streak ended with a 23-10 loss to the Bengals, Joe Burrow’s first time beating Cleveland. Deshaun Watson improved slightly in his second game back from an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct lawsuits. But will it be too little, too late for the Browns in the bigger picture?
Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland BrownsGetty Images
Ravens moneyline
It can be hard to trust the Ravens this season. Though 9-4, they’re only 5-7-1 against the spread. All four of their losses have come from blowing second-half leads against the Dolphins, Bills, Giants and Jaguars.
But we need to put those concerns aside and believe in the Ravens this week for several reasons, starting with the fact that this series has been historically lopsided — Baltimore has won 24 of the past 29 meetings, including five of the past six.
No matter if it’s Huntley or Brown at quarterback, the Ravens’ identity is a strong defense and reliance on the run game. They beat the Browns 23-20 earlier this season with 160 rushing yards and just 94 passing yards; Huntley and Brown only had to combine for 94 passing yards last week against Pittsburgh because the Ravens gained 215 yards on 42 carries.
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The Browns rank roughly in the bottom third of the league in rushing defense (128.1 ypg allowed) and have several linebackers injured, most recently Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was placed on IR. On top of that, defense travels. The Ravens have yielded less than 10 points per game over their past four victories.
The line is the way it is most likely due to Jackson’s and Huntley’s injuries. Get the Ravens at this number while you can; they’re clearly the better team.
Browns vs. Ravens pick: Ravens money line @ +135 with Caesars Sportsbook
Under 37 total points
The Ravens have hit the over just four times in 13 games. It sure helps to have a defense that yields just 19.2 points per game (eighth in the NFL) and 81.2 yards per game (second).
The Browns’ run game struggled last week, gaining just 71 yards against the Bengals, and Baltimore has held the Browns to 84.3 rushing yards on average over their past three meetings.
The Ravens’ acquisition of linebacker Roquan Smith has truly bolstered the defense against both the run and the pass.
Roquan Smith of the RavensGetty Images
And while the Browns are 7-5-1 in the O/U category this year, the under has hit in each of their past three games. The transition to Watson at quarterback has come with growing pains.
Browns vs. Ravens pick: Under 37 points scored @ -110 with Caesars Sportsbook
Deshaun Watson to throw over 0.5 interceptions
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett exited Sunday’s game early with a concussion, and Mitch Trubisky took the bulk of the snaps against the Ravens.
End result: three more interceptions for the Baltimore defense’s total. Smith and fellow linebacker Patrick Queen each grabbed one, along with safety Marcus Williams, who leads the team with four.
The Ravens are now tied for second in the league with 14 interceptions over 13 games. That’s helped them to a plus-9 turnover differential, also second-best in the NFL behind Philadelphia.
Watson has had plenty of rust to shake off after sitting out all of 2021 and more than half of this season. He’s thrown one interception in each of his first two games. Bet on the Ravens to make that three straight.
Browns vs. Ravens pick: Browns QB Deshaun Watson to throw over 0.5 interceptions @ -111 at Caesars Sportsbook
Ravens vs Browns odds
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Our NFL betting expert brings you his best Ravens vs. Giants predictions and picks for their NFL Week 6 showdown, which is live Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
The Baltimore Ravens can thank Justin Tucker for another game-winning field goal in Week 5. This week they’ll look to tighten their grip on the AFC North lead with another win, this time against the surprising New York Giants (4-1), who are back from London with a victory over the Green Bay Packers in hand.
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Giants vs. Ravens picks and analysis
The Ravens (3-2) walked away with a 19-17 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals last week thanks to Justin Tucker’s dead-center, 43-yard field goal as time expired. The win put them one game ahead of Cincinnati and Cleveland in their division. Now Lamar Jackson and company head to MetLife Stadium for the second time this season. The Ravens beat the Jets there 24-9 in the season opener and are 2-0 on the road this year.
Big Blue beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last week. The Giants haven’t had a start this strong since they opened the 2009 season 5-0, and between new coach Brian Daboll and the resurgence of Saquon Barkley, fans are believers.
Saquon BarkleyGetty Images
Giants +5.5
Call up the Guinness Book of World Records, people. We need to see if 5.5 points makes New York the largest 4-1 home underdog in NFL history.
Never mind — the Giants are, in fact, six-point underdogs at BetMGM and DraftKings as of Thursday morning. Vegas clearly favors Jackson and the Baltimore offense over Daniel Jones and the Giants, not to mention the Ravens’ defense has played solidly in the past few weeks.
But it’s still a pretty eye-opening surprise to see New York, fresh off a neutral-field victory over the Packers that legitimized them as a playoff contender in the eyes of many, be shown this disrespect.
The only other concern here is the Giants’ travel schedule. They’re back on the field this week after their trip to London — in years past, teams playing in Europe had the benefit of a bye week directly after the trip to recuperate. No doubt the Ravens have an easier week in terms of keeping their minds and bodies fresh.
Still, facing that spread, we’ll take the Giants to keep it close if not win outright. Daboll’s swagger and Barkley’s legs have helped them close out games with authority, while we haven’t forgotten Baltimore’s late-game meltdowns against Miami and Buffalo.
Our Pick: Giants to cover +5.5
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Lamar JacksonGetty Images
Under 45 total points
When Giants-Packers surpassed 41.5 total points, it was the first time since Week 16 of last season that a Giants game hit the over. They’d had five unders and one push in the time since.
New York isn’t beating teams with dynamic offense. Last week’s 27 points marked the club’s highest-scoring output of the year. Barkley is good for 100 yards a game and either he, Jones or Gary Brightwell might score a rushing touchdown from the red zone, but that’s not going to run up the score on anyone.
Though Daboll came from a pass-happy attack with Josh Allen in Buffalo, he’s working with what he has in New York. The Giants have run 30 more times than they’ve passed, and Giants players have combined for only six receiving plays of 20 yards or more. All of this is a recipe for low-scoring affairs.
The Ravens have shown they can drop 37-38 points on an opponent, but in the past two weeks they’ve averaged 19.5. Jackson’s five interceptions are tied for fourth-most in the league and are liable to kill would-be scoring drives.
Our Pick: Under 45 points scored
Highest scoring quarter: Third quarter +460
This prop is a fun change-of-pace, as it asks you to bet on which quarter will see the most points scored between the teams. Any of the four options promise a decent-to-great payout if you’re right.
The Giants are slow starters on offense. They’ve averaged just 6.6 points in the first halves of games thus far. The third quarter has been their highest-scoring quarter this year – a combined 36 points, including 13 in their Week 1 comeback against Tennessee and 10 in Week 3 against the Cowboys.
The Ravens neither start nor finish games particularly strongly. Baltimore has scored just one fourth-quarter touchdown in five games and are averaging just 3 points per fourth quarter. The middle of the game is where they’re strongest, scoring 48 combined points in second quarters and 41 total points in third quarters.
In a game like this, featuring two teams who love to run the ball, expect there to be an early feeling-out period before they really start to strike blows against one another after halftime.
Our Pick: Third quarter to be the highest-scoring quarter +460
Giants vs. Ravens odds
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
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