The New York Giants (4-1) host the Baltimore Ravens (3-2) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday afternoon.
The Ravens are currently a 5.5-point favorite with the over/under at 44.5 points.
Here are five more things to know heading into the Week 6 game.
The series
This is the just the eighth matchup between the two teams since the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens in 1995.
The Ravens hold a 5-2 lead in the series including their 34-7 victory over Big Blue in Super Bowl XXXV.
The Ravens have a 2-2 mark against the Giants under head coach John Harbaugh. The two clubs last met during the 2020 season, with Baltimore winning, 27-13, at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Giants are 2-1 at home versus Baltimore with the last game being a 27-23 victory in 2016.
This is, naturally, Brian Daboll’s first time facing the Ravens as a head coach.
New age QBs face off
This will be the second meeting between two of the best rushing quarterbacks in the NFL in Daniel Jones and Lamar Jackson.
Jackson leads NFL Quarterbacks in rushing with 374 yards. Jones is third with 230. Jones is second in rushing first downs with 21. Jackson is third with 19.
The first meeting between these two players was in 2020, with the Ravens ending up on top, 27-23.
Jones completed 24-of-41 for 252 yards an a touchdown. Jackson hit on 17-of-26 passes for 183 yards and two scores. Jones ran once in the game for three yards. Jackson rushed 13 times for 80 yards.
Since entering the NFL in 2018 as the 32nd overall pick, Jackson — the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner — has been one of the league’s most dynamic players and was named the NFL MVP in 2019. He is off to a great start this season and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. Jackson is in the process of negotiating a long-term mega-deal with the Ravens.
Jones has had a rougher road. He has battled through injuries and inconsistency, both his and the organization’s, and is basically auditioning for his job with the new front office and coaching staff. The Giants did not exercise Jones’ fifth-year option and he will be a free agent after the season unless the two parties come to terms.
All hail Saquon
The Giants are 4-1 largely due to the resurgence of fifth-year running back Saquon Barkley, the 2018 Rookie of the Year who has been hobbled and sidelined by a myriad of injuries the past three seasons.
Barkley is second in the NFL in rushing and leads the league in total yards from scrimmage with 676.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on Barkley:
“Strength, balance, change of direction — he’s just a really tough guy to tackle. He’s good out of the backfield, catches passes and is a good all-around — great all-around — running back and a heart and soul of their offense. But it’s not just him. Daniel Jones is playing really well, and he’s a tough tackle. He’s been making plays out of the pocket that I didn’t really expect to see, and he’s really made a big difference for them — throwing and running around. They’re doing a good job on offense, obviously, and winning games.”
Two great kickers
The Giants’ Graham Gano and Justin Tucker of the Ravens have perennially been two of the best kickers in the NFL.
This season, Tucker is third among kickers in scoring with 42 points. Gano is fourth with 41. But reliability isn’t their only trait. They both specialize in the long ball.
In Week 3, Gano made two 50-plus yard field goals which was the sixth time for a Giants kicker and fifth time for Gano. He also made two from over 50 in Week 2 against Carolina. With two 50-plus yarders in both Week 2 and Week 3, Gano became the first Giant to record back-to-back games with two 50-plus yard field goals.
Tucker has made 27 consecutive tries going back to last season. 10 of those same from over 50 yards, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. Tucker has also converted kicks from over 50 yards 52 times in his career, which is tied for third most in NFL history.
JPP is back and still relevant
Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants’ 2010 first round pick and former All-Pro defensive end, is back in the NFL. He signed on with the Ravens two weeks ago as a free agent.
Last week against Cincinnati, JPP had two passes defensed and his first sack of the season. As a Giant from 2010-17, he totaled 87 tackles for a loss with 58.5 sacks and 13 forced fumbles.
Pro Football Focus posted this about JPP this week.
Jason Pierre-Paul had an 80.3 pass rush grade vs the Bengals on Sunday.
The highest by any Raven in a single game this season 😤 pic.twitter.com/aiqbB371PX
— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) October 11, 2022
