The Ravens righted their unsteady ship when Justin Tucker booted a 43-yard field goal to snatch a . Now, they’ll travel to face the New York Giants, who have surprised everyone with a 4-1 start. The Ravens are road favorites, but how do they match up against a team on the rise?
Ravens passing game vs. Giants pass defense
Lamar Jackson misfired on several big-strike opportunities and struggled against five- and six-man rushes in the Ravens’ Week 5 win over the Bengals. His performance against pressure — Jackson punished blitzes better than any quarterback in the league through the first three weeks — will be a central plot against a Giants defense called by former Ravens coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. To no one’s surprise, the Giants have jumped from 16th in the league in blitz rate last season to first with Martindale at the controls. They do not simply rely on sending extra men after the quarterback; they have a talented front led by monstrous nose tackle Dexter Lawrence (three sacks, eight quarterback hits) and outside linebacker Oshane Ximines. They could get defensive lineman Leonard Williams back from a sprained MCL this week. They will present a significant test for the Ravens’ offensive line, which is rounding back to form with Ronnie Stanley at left tackle.
Stanley played just one-third of the snaps against Cincinnati as he rotated with Patrick Mekari but looked nimble and strong in his first game action since the 2021 opener. No. 1 wide receiver Rashod Bateman (22.1 yards per catch) has not practiced since he hurt his foot in Week 4. In his absence, Jackson leaned heavily on tight end Mark Andrews and wide receiver Devin Duvernay, who combined for 143 yards on 13 catches while everyone else on the team combined for 31 yards on six catches. For all their talent up front, the Giants rank 24th in pass-defense efficiency, according to Football Outsiders, a result of their struggles covering tight ends and No. 1 receivers. Their safeties and linebackers are ripe to be attacked in the middle of the field.
EDGE: Ravens
Giants passing game vs. Ravens pass defense
The Giants rank 31st in passing yards per game, and quarterback Daniel Jones has thrown just three touchdown passes, but he does not have a lot to work with. Richie James leads the wide receivers with 17 catches on 22 targets, but he’s not a big-play threat. Neither is David Sills V. Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger (10 catches on 12 targets) has been a bright spot. We know running back Saquon Barkley is the Giants’ best offensive player; he’s also their most prolific receiver. The Ravens will have to tackle well to prevent his short catches from becoming double-digit gains.
How will defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald approach the Giants a week after he used a persistent two-deep zone to prevent big plays from the Bengals’ talented wide receivers? The strategy worked as Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow connected on just one pass of more than 20 yards. But Burrow nearly nicked the Ravens to death on a go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. The Ravens will be without their top safety, Marcus Williams, who dislocated his wrist against the Bengals, and will call on little-used Geno Stone and rookie Kyle Hamilton to fill the void. Starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters have covered well and have combined to force four of the Ravens’ league-high 11 takeaways. Linebacker Patrick Queen has performed unevenly in coverage, but his interception against the Bengals highlighted his best all-around game of the season. Meanwhile, recent addition Jason Pierre-Paul gave the pass rush a boost with a sack and two passes defended. The Ravens are suddenly optimistic about their outside linebacker room with Justin Houston (groin), Tyus Bowser (Achilles) and David Ojabo (Achilles) all potentially nearing returns, but that projected depth is probably a few weeks from manifesting. For now, Pierre-Paul and Odafe Oweh will go at a Giants offensive line that’s mediocre (15 sacks allowed) beyond outstanding left tackle Andrew Thomas.
EDGE: Ravens
Ravens running game vs. Giants run defense
The Ravens ran for 155 yards on 28 attempts against the Bengals and are averaging 5.4 yards per carry on the season. With Justice Hill (hamstring) injured, they used Duvernay to give their ground game an early jolt and turned to Kenyan Drake for some important late-game carries. J.K. Dobbins gained 44 yards on eight carries, including a spectacular run on which he wiggled out of a larger defender’s grasp at the line of scrimmage. The Bengals actually did a good job corralling Jackson for most of the game, but he was still the Ravens’ go-to runner when they had to score in the last two minutes. His 374 rushing yards lead the team by more than 200, and he’s averaging 7.6 yards per attempt.
The Giants rank 21st in run-defense efficiency, according to Football Outsiders and have allowed opponents to average 5 yards per carry. The Dallas Cowboys mauled them for 176 yards on 30 carries in their one loss of the season. A returning Leonard Williams would boost New York’s front seven, but linebacker Tae Crowder and former Ravens defensive tackle Justin Ellis have hurt Martindale’s defense with subpar work against the run.
EDGE: Ravens
Giants running game vs. Ravens run defense
This is strength against weakness. The Giants, with the sublime Barkley at full strength, rank second in rushing yards per game and fourth in yards per carry. Barkley is on pace for more than 1,800 rushing yards and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Jones is a devastating complement, averaging almost 50 rushing yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry. He’s not Jackson, but his designed runs are a major part of head coach Brian Daboll’s offense. In their Week 5 win over the Green Bay Packers, the Giants went to the option in the red zone, snapping the ball directly to Barkley on a few key downs.
The Ravens, on the other hand, have sunk to a surprising 26th in run-defense efficiency, according to Football Outsiders. They allowed the Bengals, who had not been efficient on the ground, to run for 101 yards on 21 carries, and they could not stuff Joe Mixon on that crucial fourth-quarter touchdown drive. They need more consistency from linebackers Queen and Josh Bynes, and defensive tackles Broderick Washington and Travis Jones have yet to show they can fill Michael Pierce’s shoes.
EDGE: Giants
Ravens special teams vs. Giants special teams
The Ravens easily rank first in special-teams efficiency, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA. All-Pro Justin Tucker showed why he’s the best kicker ever against the Bengals, making all four of his field-goal attempts, including a 58-yarder in the third quarter and the 43-yard game-winner. Duvernay is the league’s most dangerous returner, averaging 13.5 yards on punts and 36.6 yards on kickoffs.
The Giants rank 19th in special-teams DVOA. Kicker Graham Gano has made 11 of 13 field-goal attempts, including all four of his tries from beyond 50 yards. But they have not gotten much from their return game, with James handling punts and Gary Brightwell handling kickoffs.
EDGE: Ravens
Ravens intangibles vs. Giants intangibles
The Ravens shared a sigh of relief after they came back in the last two minutes to beat the Bengals. The win gave them an early advantage in the AFC North, and they know they need to build on it over the next few weeks. They have won both their road games by double-digit margins and will face an opponent that played in London last weekend.
Jet lag aside, the Giants are loving life under their first-year coach, Daboll, a sharp offensive mind who has them playing to their strengths. Martindale won’t say it, but he would surely enjoy shutting down the team that moved on from him after last season. If the Giants needed any more motivation, they’re significant home underdogs against a team with a worse record.
EDGE: Ravens
Prediction
There are two essential plots here: Will Jackson punish Martindale’s blitzes and will Barkley and Jones run all over a soft Baltimore run defense? These will make for compelling football, but the Ravens have more paths to victory and will not let this become a trap game against an opponent that played in London last Sunday. Ravens 27, Giants 19
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