Ravens not loving their Nabers in preparing for Giants

A North Texas linebacker, Zach Orr opened his 2012 junior season in Baton Rouge. Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. combined for 11 catches in LSU’s 41-14 win. Now the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, Orr knows all about LSU wide receivers.

The latest product from that exceptional group is rookie Malik Nabers. And as the Ravens (8-5) prepare for the Giants (2-11) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Orr is losing a bit of sleep. Nabers reminds him of another LSU receiver terrorizing the AFC North.

“He’s not there yet, but he kind of reminds me – from just his college tape – kind of like a Ja’Marr Chase,” Orr said Thursday, “from a sense of, he’s explosive. He can contest catches.”

Orr said Nabers jumped off film this past offseason in evaluating draft film of Southeastern Conference defensive backs. The rookie’s ability to run after the catch is what separates him. And if Nabers has anything close to the run-after-catch success Chase had against Baltimore this season, the Ravens are in serious trouble. In two games against Baltimore, both Ravens wins, Chase had 21 receptions for 457 yards and five touchdowns, including 200 yards after the catch. Orr said the Giants feature Nabers, despite playing with three quarterbacks over his first 11 games.

“They trust him a lot,” Orr said. “He’s one of their leading receivers, one of their leading targets – him and Wan’Dale Robinson. He’s a good player. We definitely have to know where he’s at and make sure we take care of him and not let him wreck the game.”

Including five receptions for 79 yards in last week’s loss to the Saints, Nabers is the only player in NFL history with five-or-more catches in 10 of his first 11 career games. He ranks second among rookies with 80 receptions, the most by an NFL player over his first 11 games all-time.

Henry aims for new heights: Derrick Henry has compiled 1,407 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns so far in his first season with Baltimore, second and tied for the second in the NFL, respectively. He needs 93 rushing yards on Sunday to become only the fifth in NFL history with a quartet of 1,500-yard seasons. Henry, who reached the mark in 2019, 2020 and 2022 with the Titans, would join Barry Sanders (five 1,500-yard seasons), Eric Dickerson (four), Edgerrin James (four) and Walter Payton (four). Only Dickerson and Clinton Portis have reached 1,500 with multiple franchises. Finally, with two rushing touchdowns over Baltimore’s remaining four games, Henry would be the first player all-time with 15-plus rushing touchdowns for multiple teams.

For more information on the Ravens and Giants, visit the Baltimore and N.Y. Giants team pages on ProFootballPost.com.