The New York Giants (5-9) are set to travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens (9-5) at 1:00 pm Sunday. The Giants are on a two-game losing streak while the Ravens are winners of three straight. The Giants will get pro-bowl corner James Bradberry back in the lineup after losing him last week on the Covid-19 list. With the Steelers losing three-straight games, the Ravens are fighting to stay alive in their division let alone the playoff race. The Giants hope to do the same, as a win would keep their playoff hopes alive. Here’s five Giants to keep an eye on during Sunday’s matchup.
CB: James Bradberry
As mentioned above, the Giants get Bradberry back this week, and they welcome him with open arms. The Giants saw what it was like to be short at corner, and it was not pretty. This week, Bradberry will have a matchup with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. As a fantasy owner of Brown, he hasn’t been the receiver we knew last year. So far, Brown has 49 catches for 703 yards and 5 TDs. Bradberry has done a solid job against very good receivers this year, helping him earn his first Pro-Bowl of his career. Look for there to be more of an impact with having Bradberry back in the lineup.
WR: Sterling Shepard
With fellow WR Golden Tate out this Sunday, that leaves Shepard one of the primary slot receivers available. Along with most of the Giants receivers, Shepard’s numbers haven’t really flashed. Not entirely sure if it is the scheme or the execution of the players on offense. The Giants are going to need some big plays from their receivers against this Ravens defense that has been playing better as of late. Shepard has made some big catches this year on some deep plays. Those type of plays the Giants will need if they want to be successful. One thing to watch for, CB Marcus Peters has not practiced all week and is questionable, and the Ravens are down CB Jimmy Smith as he is out.
S: Xavier McKinney
In last Sunday’s game, McKinney was the highest graded Giant in PFF grades, and he may have his hands full Sunday. I can see McKinney being a spy for QB Lamar Jackson who we all know is a big runner. When the Giants faced Arizona and Kyler Murray, LB Tae Crowder spied him a lot. Jackson is more elusive and more of a threat running the ball than passing. McKinney is quick and athletic enough to stick with Jackson to at least spy on him and to be able to try to contain him as best as he could.
DT: Dalvin Tomlinson
Tomlinson has tied his career high in tackles for loss with 7 this year. The Giants are up against a good rushing offense this week. Last week, the Giants contained RB Nick Chubb very well with just 50 yards of rushing. The Giants are up against J.K. Dobbins who’s been playing better in the second half of the season. Tomlinson is one of the Giants best run defenders on the team, and look for him and partners like Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence to clog up the holes for him to run through, and that also includes Jackson.
QB: Daniel Jones?
I have a question mark next to his name because that is what he is for Sunday, questionable. Jones has missed two games due to the hamstring injury and a newer ankle injury. McCoy did what he could when he stepped in, and if Jones is still not functioning well, McCoy should be the starter. There have been reports that Jones is expected to play, and it should be interesting. In his last start, he fumbled about 3 times. As all fans know, that is one thing that he needs to work on. If he wants to come close to the playoffs, he will have to play much better in the category. These last two games are Jones “prove it” games. He will go to show whether he will have a future in NY or what. Jones just needs to have a clean game especially against a team like the Ravens. Look to see if Jones will be indeed out there Sunday, and hopefully he will play some of his best football down the stretch.
Photo Credit: Empire Sports Media
About Dylan Davis
Dylan Davis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Canton, where he obtained a B.A.A in Sport Management. He is a former athlete of football and baseball and sports fan for much of his life. Dylan creates content for 366 Sports and New York Giants 366, and is also a host on his own show, “The J&D Sports Show”.
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