OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Throughout the week, the Baltimore Ravens have been asked repeatedly how they can not be overly confident heading into Sunday’s game against the struggling New York Giants.

The Ravens’ answer: They learned their lesson.

“I mean, we lost to the Raiders, who are currently 2-11, so you can’t really go into a game thinking that,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “You have to play every single game. I think we have that mindset and are locked in on the Giants.”

According to ESPN BET, the Ravens are currently the biggest 16-point favorite heading into the 2024 season. This would surpass the Detroit Lions-Jacksonville Jaguars game in Week 11, when Detroit was a 14.5-point favorite and won 52-6. According to ESPN Research, that would also make the Ravens the sixth-biggest away favorite in the last 30 years and the Giants the biggest home underdog in the NFL since 1966.

But 14 weeks into this season, the Ravens (8-5) have proven they can beat the best teams in the league and lose to some of the worst. Baltimore was upset by two teams with double-digit losses: a 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 and a 29-24 loss at the Cleveland Browns (3-10) in Week 8.

Now Baltimore faces the Giants (2-11), a struggling team that has the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. Sunday’s game (1 p.m. ET, CBS) could be viewed as a prototypical trap game, as the Ravens face the AFC North’s first-place team, the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3), six days after their game in New York.

“It’s not difficult to prepare for a team,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We understand how good each team is. The New York Giants are a very talented, very strong (and) very well-coached football team. They are very capable and we have to play our best football. “Win ​​the game. That’s what we’re focusing on.”

Baltimore knows it has little room for error if it wants to repeat as division champions. According to ESPN Analytics, a win increases the team’s chances of winning the AFC North to 23%, while a loss drops the chances to 6%.

The Ravens’ history suggests they won’t overlook the Giants. At 44-1 (.978), Baltimore is always a double-digit favorite, even in the postseason. This is the best winning percentage in the NFL since the Ravens’ inaugural season in 1996.

The team has been favored by two or more touchdowns on the road twice in franchise history. Baltimore won both games, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 13-7 in 2000 and defeating the Washington Football Team 31-17 in 2020.

Now Baltimore is preparing to play a Giants team that has lost eight straight games and hasn’t won since Oct. 6.

“We can’t worry about the outside noise,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “We can’t worry about the outside noise because like I always say, it’s a different NFL team we’re playing against, no matter what the record is.”

NFL teams are 65-6 (.915) when ahead by 14 or more points over the last 20 years. The last time a team lost by two or more touchdowns was at the end of the 2021 season, when the Indianapolis Colts lost 26-11 to the Jaguars after being favored by 14 points.

But the Ravens understand the pain that comes with surprising defeats. They insist the losses to the Raiders and Browns will remind them not to take Tommy DeVito and the Giants lightly.

“It helps us just not let up,” Hamilton said. “You have to win every game in this league. It doesn’t matter what situation, what week it is, who is on the other side, who is not on the other side; “If they have 11 players out there,” and there’s a soccer ball, then you have to win the game.”