An inside look at Sunday’s Giants-Ravens Week 6 matchup at MetLife Stadium.
Marquee matchup
Ravens TE Mark Andrews vs. Giants S. Xavier McKinney
Andrews leads Baltimore with 32 receptions — 15 more than the next Ravens player. He has four touchdown catches this season, and his 30 TDs dating to 2019 are second-most in the NFL among tight ends. He is clearly Lamar Jackson’s favorite target.
McKinney will not be assigned to Andrews on an every-down basis, but he is a versatile defender and gets to line up against tight ends on a regular basis.
McKinney did a great job in Week 2 spying RB Christian McCaffrey, limiting the Panthers stud to four receptions for just 26 yards. Andrews, at 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds, will try to outmuscle McKinney.
Paul’s pick
It has been a bit of a bumpy ride this season for the Ravens, who do not possess the vise-grip defense of years past. They do have Lamar Jackson, though, and he is a threat every snap to embarrass someone with his arm, and especially with his legs. Saquon Barkley came out of London with a balky shoulder, and the Giants need everything possible out of their one transcendent offensive player.
Ravens 23, Giants 16
Four downs
Teamwork makes the dream work: It is fair to say former Giants coach Joe Judge, in his two seasons, never had the luxury of a fully healthy Saquon Barkley. The fifth-year running back leads the NFL with 533 rushing yards, and there is no doubt he makes life easier for Daniel Jones.
Last week in London, Jones was 9-for-10 on passes off play-action, and he is completing 78 percent of his throws on play-action this season. Defenses must honor the play-fake to Barkley, and that allows Jones to find openings down the field, even with a sub-standard collection of wide receivers.
Thievery alert: No team in the league has forced more than the 11 turnovers the Ravens have on defense. They have eight interceptions (the Giants are the only defense without an interception this season) and three fumble recoveries. But safety Marcus Williams, the INT leader with three, is on injured reserve with a dislocated wrist. Steering clear of turnovers will be critical for the Giants, who have five giveaways in five games.
“They create pressure up front, and they have ball hawks in the back end that do a good job of tackling the football, stripping and punching at the ball,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said.
Starting point: Everyone knows about the exploits of Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, whom former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes, a two-time Super Bowl winner, calls the greatest in NFL history. Tucker has hit 91.3 percent of his field goal attempts in his 11-year career and, even more astoundingly, has hit an NFL record 61 consecutive field goals in the fourth quarter or overtime. The prowess of Baltimore’s special teams does not end there. Kick returner Devin Duvernay is averaging 36.6 yards on kickoff returns, and the Ravens lead the league with an average starting field position of the 31.4-yard line on offense.
Old friends: Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said he holds no major animosity for the decision — mutual, both parties have said — through which he parted ways with the Ravens organization. Still, this is a highly emotional game awaiting Martindale. Both statements can be true. Familiarity is rampant. Which side has the advantage?
“It’s a great question,’’ Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s like, ‘He knows that we know, that we know that he knows, that he knows that we know.’ So, it’s something like that.’’
Here is a guarantee: If the Giants win, Martindale will be presented with a game ball.
