Giants vs. Bengals: Preview, prediction, what to watch for

An inside look at Sunday’s Giants-Seahawks NFL Week 6 matchup at MetLife Stadium:

Marquee matchup

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson vs. Giants LT Andrew Thomas

If you are not at your best against this pass rusher, he will wreck the game.

Hendrickson has three sacks this season and in 2023 was tied for second in the league with Josh Allen in sacks with 17.5, trailing just T.J. Watt (19 sacks).

Hendrickson has seasons on his résumé with 13.5 and 14 sacks, so he does not need a roadmap to find the quarterback.

Thomas got off to a slower start than usual this season — he certainly struggled against Myles Garrett in Week 3 — and is ranked as the No. 21 tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus.

He is definitely better than that, and he is on the scene and paid big bucks to take care of business in battles such as this.

Paul’s pick

Joe Burrow is the most prolific quarterback the Giants have faced this season, and the Bengals are averaging a robust 28 points a game.

Ja’Marr Chase can be a game-breaker.

Daniel Jones has played four straight clean games, and he will need another one here.

He has to get the offense in the end zone, probably at least three times.

It is a tall order against a now-or-never opponent.

Bengals 30, Giants 23

Four Downs

Pressure point: Raise your hand if you expected the Giants through five games to be leading the NFL in sacks.

They have 22 sacks — two more than the Vikings.

What is remarkable is that their highly touted edge rushers, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, have contributed just four of them.

Dexter Lawrence as an interior rusher has a team-high six sacks, tied for second in the league.

With eight sacks vs. the Browns and seven sacks vs, the Seahawks, the Giants are the first team since the 2006 Eagles to get seven or more sacks in two of their first five games.

The Bengals have allowed just 11 sacks, tied for the 10th-fewest in the league.

It gets tougher now, though, with Thibodeaux expected to be out at least a month following wrist surgery, opening the door for Azeez Ojulari.

The fallen: The Bengals were expected to be a heavyweight in the AFC, but they are in last place in the AFC North. Asked if his team is still a contender, coach Zac Taylor said, “I still believe in that.”

His quarterback is not whistling the same tune.

“We’re not a championship-level team right now,” Joe Burrow said. “We’re not. I like to think that we’ll come back and improve throughout the season to get to that point, but right now, we’re not, and we have to get better.”

Join the club: Lo and behold, rookie Theo Johnson had as many catches (five) against the Seahawks as the entire tight end position group had in the first four games.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson is an inviting target and needs to be utilized in the passing game.

“I know there was something made about him not having as many opportunities early on, but we have a ton of confidence in him,” Daniel Jones said. “You saw what he can do and his physicality, his size and strength in the middle of the field.”

Who runs it? It was not shocking that veteran Darius Slayton had a big game last week filling Malik Nabers’ spot.

It was a pleasant surprise for the Giants that rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. turned his first NFL start into a 129-yard breakout.

Devin Singletary is listed as questionable, and if he plays he likely will not be ready for a full load. Tracy at 210 pounds brings a more physical presence to the backfield.

“No, there’s no surprise there,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “He’s a good player, and it’s a guy that we expect him to do what he does.”