What We Saw: Week 6

The What We Saw team recaps everything you missed from Sunday's action

Ben Brown
What We Saw 2 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Commanders @ Bears
49ers @ Falcons
Patriots @ Browns
Jets @ Packers
Jaguars @ Colts
Vikings @ Dolphins
Bengals @ Saints
Ravens @ Giants
Buccaneers @ Steelers
Panthers @ Rams
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Bills @ Chiefs
Cowboys @ Eagles

Ravens @ Giants 

Final Score: Giants 24, Ravens 20

Writer: Mario Adamo Jr (@marioadamojr on Twitter)

 

Coming in as five-point favorites, Lamar Jackson has lost to an NFC team for the first time in his career.

The Ravens got the ball first after the Giants deferred. After a couple of J.K. Dobbins runs and some passes to tight ends, two false start penalties ultimately killed the momentum of the Ravens’ opening drive leading them to punt. Marcus Johnson had a great catch off a tipped ball on third down, but the Giants failed to convert the next third down and punted it back. The Ravens moved the ball into Giants territory off the legs of Dobbins and Kenyan Drake running the ball, but Justin Tucker doinked a 56-yard field goal off the left upright. The Giants did nothing with the gifted starting position as they went three-and-out.

The Ravens were the first to get on the board, following a 30-yard rush from Kenyan Drake to make it 7-0. It didn’t take long for the Giants to answer back. An offensive pass interference made it 3rd-and-14, but Darius Slayton came up big for an 18-yard completion to move the chains. The Giants scored off a Wan’Dale Robinson touchdown, tying the game at seven apiece. Not to be outdone, the Ravens drove 59 yards in under two minutes for Justin Tucker to redeem himself and hit a 34-yard field goal to give the Ravens the lead again, 10-7. With just under two minutes left both teams had failed three-and-outs, with the Giants ending the half with a meaningless Daniel Jones fumble as time expired.

The Giants got the ball to start the third quarter, did nothing with it, and punted it away. The Ravens moved the ball quickly thanks to a 21-yard rush from Drake and two big catches of 14 and 18 yards from Mark Andrews. Three straight incompletions followed and the Ravens settled for another Tucker field goal putting them up 13-7. The Giants’ seventh drive featured thirteen offensive snaps, eight of which involved Saquon Barkley. It was a recipe for success as it put them in field goal range for Grahan Gano to make it a three-point game, 13-10.

With the score getting too close for comfort, the Ravens put the ball in their playmakers’ hands often on their seventh drive. Jackson broke free for 25 yards, Drake had four rushes for 27 yards and Mark Andrews capped off the drive with a 12-yard touchdown to make it 20-10. Not giving up just yet, Daniel Jones drove down the field spreading the ball to their wide receivers no one can name and capped it off with an eight-yard touchdown to Daniel Bellinger, 20-17.

Five plays into the Ravens’ eighth drive Lamar Jackson dodged a sack, scrambled free, and threw an absolute duck to two blue jerseys. The Giants quickly capitalized on their first interception of the year, with Barkley punching in a 1-yard touchdown giving Big Blue the lead, 24-20. Lamar Jackson gets ready to be the hero, but the Giants get to him again and he fumbles on the second play of the drive. The Giants recover and Barkley pulls off the Brian Westbrook special. He breaks free but stops at the 1-yard line, sealing the Giants’ victory 24-20. 

 

Baltimore Ravens

 

Quarterback

 

Lamar Jackson: 17/32, 210 Yards, TD, INT | 7 Carries, 77 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost), 1 Fumble (Recovered)

 

I mentioned it in the header but it’s worth mentioning again, before today Lamar Jackson was 12-0 in his career against NFC teams. That wasn’t the only streak broken today. Jackson’s interception was the first of the year for the Giants, who were previously the only team in the league without one.

As for Jackson’s performance, the Giants did a good job containing Jackson. At least, as good of a job as anyone could. He still had three rushes of 10+ yards including a 25-yarder to set up a Mark Andrews touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jackson continues to favor throwing to his TEs, with 18 of his 32 throws going toward TEs.

Overall you hoped for a better game from your star QB, but credit to the Giants for containing him well. The rushers were patient and the coverage was solid for most of the game. You still start Jackson without hesitation and take solace in knowing one of his worse games still had 77 rushing yards and a passing touchdown.

 

 

Running Back

 

Kenyan Drake: 10 Carries, 119 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards

J.K. Dobbins: 7 Carries, 15 Yards

 

The Ravens’ third drive featured a mix of  J.K. Dobbins and Kenyan Drake. That was the last time Dobbins touched the field.

Watching the game it’s not apparent what the problem was for Dobbins, but it sounds like his knee was bothering him and the Ravens decided to play it safe. Overall it was a very unfortunate showing for Dobbins who, besides his 18.3-point game against BUF in Week 4, has failed to move the needle in a meaningful fantasy way this year.

On the flip side, Drake made the most of his ten carries, breaking out for 119 yards and a touchdown. He also was targeted twice and brought one in for 8-yards. Drake had not one, but two(!) 30-yard rushes and another go for 21 yards. Even with taking away those three breakout runs, Drake averaged 5.4 yards per carry.

Keep a close eye on Dobbins’ health, while Drake could be worthy of a waiver if he’s not already rostered.

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Mark Andrews: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 106 Yards, TD

Devin Duvernay: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 14 Yards

Demarcus Robinson: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 27 Yards

Tylan Wallace: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards

Josh Oliver: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards

Isaiah Likely: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 30 Yards

 

To the surprise of no one, Mark Andrews is the WR1 of this team. Obviously, Andrews is a TE, but today he had as many targets as all Ravens WRs combined. He was targeted once in the red zone on the Ravens’ sixth drive and his two catches of 14 yards and 18 yards were a big reason they made it to the red zone in the first place. He was also targeted in the red zone on the Ravens’ seventh drive and he was able to bring that one in for a 12-yard TD, Jackson’s only passing touchdown of the day. Andrews was targeted consistently throughout the game and continues to be a lineup lock in his quest to repeat as TE1.

As far as actual wide receivers go, Devin Duvernay and Demarcus Robinson were tied at five targets apiece. Though Duvernay only had one catch, his usage looked good. He was the only WR targeted in the red zone on the Raven’s seventh drive. He also had an end zone target on the Ravens’ fourth drive he was unable to bring in. Another target was tipped by a defensive lineman and was low and behind him because of that. Overall, Duvernay was looked at in key moments, it just wasn’t his day. As for Robinson, his three catches on five targets were pretty unremarkable, he and Tylan Wallace looked to be warm bodies out there with no real fantasy value. 

Josh Oliver’s season receptions doubled today, from two to four. Although we’re happy for him, we’re not putting him anywhere near our lineup. Isaiah Likely brought in half of his targets for 30 yards. One of Likely’s targets came in the red zone during the Ravens’ seventh drive, though he was unable to bring it in. 

 

 

 New York Giants

 

Quarterback

 

Daniel Jones: 19/27, 173 Yards, 2 TD | 6 Carries, 6 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)

 

Completing 19 of 27 passes for 173 doesn’t sound like winning football, but Daniel Dimes continues to get it done. His one fumble came on an end-of-half Hail Mary so I don’t hold it against him. The Ravens did get to him three other times for a sack, but Jones held onto the ball and didn’t throw any picks. He scrambled when needed to escape the pressure, picking up four yards here and three yards there. Overall a very solid performance that tied Tom Brady for the week and outperformed Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford, among other less impressive names.

 

 

Running Back

 

Saquon Barkley: 22 Carries, 83 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 12 Yards

Matt Breida: 3 Carries, -6 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards

 

Ladies and gentlemen, the star of the 4-1 Giants offense, Saquon Barkley. The Giants’ seventh drive featured Barkley in eight of thirteen offensive snaps for an impressive 43 yards and the Giants’ second drive featured Barkley exclusively for a much less impressive eight yards on a three-and-out. Despite his great day, fantasy managers will find a reason to be upset as Barkley went down at the 1 for what could have been an easy second rushing touchdown. The heads-up play by Barkley secured the Giants’ win and ensured the Ravens would never see the ball again. Barkley continues to shine as bright as any star on broadway and continues to be a lock for the top RB in the league.  

Every Matt Breida rush was immediately sniffed out and brought to a halt, with his longest rush only being a single yard. Breida was more efficient in the passing game, having a catch for 2 yards and for 15 yards. One of Breida’s rushes came while Barkley was under center in the wildcat, which resulted in a five-yard loss.

 

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Daniel Bellinger: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 38 Yards, TD

Wan’Dale Robinson: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 37 Yards, TD

Marcus Johnson: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards

Darius Slayton: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 18 Yards

Richie James Jr.: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards

David Sills V: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards

 

This ragtag bunch got it done for the Giants today. Entering Week 6 the highest-ranked WR for the Giants is Sterling Shepard at WR67, who tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season, followed by Richie James Jr. at WR73.

Starting with Darius Slayton, because he’s the only name I’ve heard before today, he brought in only one of his three targets for 18 yards. One of his incompletes bounced right off of his hands, while the other was a one-handed catch that he just couldn’t pull in. As for the snap leader among rookie tight ends, Daniel Bellinger brought in all five of his targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was an absolute missile from Daniel Dimes. Bellinger’s worst game was Week 4 vs Chicago where he still managed to put up 5.3. Bellinger seems like a sneaky add if you’re stuck in a tight-end wasteland. Richie James Jr. brought in his two targets for 18 yards.

Wan’Dale Robinson, the only wide receiver to bring in a receiving touchdown, was WR167 entering today’s matchup. It was his first game since Week 1, where he caught his only target for five yards. David Sills brought in one of his two targets for 8 yards. Finally Mr. WR73 himself, Richie James Jr. brought in both of his targets for 18 yards. 

If you find yourself in a situation where you have to start any Giants WR, I’m sorry. 

 

 

 

Series Navigation
Introduction
Commanders @ Bears
49ers @ Falcons
Patriots @ Browns
Jets @ Packers
Jaguars @ Colts
Vikings @ Dolphins
Bengals @ Saints
Ravens @ Giants
Buccaneers @ Steelers
Panthers @ Rams
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Bills @ Chiefs
Cowboys @ Eagles

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