The New York Giants will face the Baltimore Ravens in one of the most intriguing matchups of Week 6.
Both teams are very similar, especially offensively. They each rely heavily on the scrambling abilities of their quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Daniel Jones. And they’re both near the bottom in passing offense, as the Ravens rank 22nd and the Giants are 31st.
The biggest difference between these two teams is that the Giants have the Offensive Player of the Year through the first five weeks in Saquon Barkley, and Big Blue has Wink Martindale as their defensive coordinator.
Prior to arriving in New York, Martindale spent the last ten seasons with the Ravens, first as their linebackers coach from (2012-2017) and then as their defensive coordinator from (2018-2021).
This is by far the biggest storyline heading into Sunday’s matchup.
The chess match between Martindale and the Ravens offense
Martindale’s arrival has been one of the biggest additions to the Giants, as they’re 12th in total defense, whereas the Ravens are ranked 28th under new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.
Having been with the Ravens for a decade, Martindale knows the Ravens’ tendencies and the weakness and strengths of Lamar Jackson. But that is also true in reverse as the Ravens, and offensive coordinator Greg Roman and Lamar Jackson are fully aware of Wink’s tendencies.
It will be a constant chess match when Baltimore’s offense and New York’s defense are on the field. In addition to blitzing often, some keys to watch will be whether Martindale will have one of his defenders spy on the elusive Jackson and which play the Ravens already have in mind for when Wink calls a zero blitz.
Whoever wins this chess match on Sunday will likely win the game.
Related: 2022 NFL defense rankings: Previewing Week 6 matchups for best NFL defenses
Will Darius Slayton shine once again?
Prior to last week’s 27-22 win over the Green Bay Packers, Slayton barely saw any playing time and had just one reception for 11 yards on the season. Due to injuries to the receiving corps, Slayton was thrust into a bigger role, and he delivered.
He gave life to the Giants’ passing game catching six targets for 79 yards. His 79 receiving yards were the most by any Giant this season.
Receivers Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay will once again be unable to play, which will once again give Slayton significant playing time. The Ravens’ pass defense has struggled all season long, giving up 290.2 yards per game which is dead last in the NFL.
Now the question is, can the 25-year-old wide receiver have a repeat performance this week against the vulnerable Ravens secondary?
Related: 4 reasons the New York Giants are legit playoff contenders, and not just on a hot streak
Will a kicker decide the outcome of the game?
This game features two of the best kickers in the league in Graham Gano and Justin Tucker, who is arguably the best kicker of all time. Both kickers are both four-for-four in field goal attempts of 50 yards or more this season, and in Tucker’s case, he hasn’t missed a field goal attempt all season.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh are confident that their kicker is in range once they get to the opponent’s 40-yard-line. In a game that is expected to be close, the game could down to who has the ball last and puts their kicker in a position to win the game.
Will Big Blue get players returning from injury?
As we mentioned previously, New York will be without the services of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney. But it’s possible that Leonard Williams and rookie receiver Wan’Dale Robinson could return for Sunday’s game.
Both players are listed as questionable, but there’s optimism that both will be on the field on Sunday. Brian Daboll answered questions on Friday about both players’ availability.
“He’s making progress. He’ll come out here, he’ll practice today, and we’ll see where we’re at. Like normal Fridays, we’ll talk about it after practice. I think he’s making improvements.” Daboll on Robinson.
“I think Leonard has had a good week, I think he’s taking good steps.” Daboll on Williams.
Robinson was going to have a prominent role in the offense and was one of the best players throughout training camp but injured his knee early in the first game of the season against the Tennessee Titans. After not missing a game in his first eight seasons, Williams hasn’t played since spraining his knee in Week 2. Having his physical presence would go a long way toward shutting down the Ravens and their seventh-ranked rushing attack.
If both players are able to return, it will be a huge boost to the team and enhance the team’s chances of improving to 5-1.
Related: 3 reasons why the New York Giants must re-sign Saquon Barkley this offseason