Preview, prediction, what to pay attention to

A look at Sunday’s Giants-Seahawks Week 6 NFL game 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 ruin the game.

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

Hendrickson has 13.5 and 14 sack seasons on his resume, so he doesn’t need a roadmap to find the quarterback.

Thomas has had a slower start than usual this season – he certainly struggled with Myles Garrett in Week 3 – and is ranked as the No. 21 tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus.

He’s definitely better than that, and he’s on the ground and paid big bucks to take care of business in battles like this.

Paul’s choice

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

Ja’Marr Chase can be a game-breaker.

Daniel Jones has played four clean games in a row and will need another one here.

He’ll have to handle the offense in the end zone, probably at least three times.

It’s a big challenge against a now-or-never opponent.

Bengals 30, Giants 23

Four depths

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

They have 22 sacks – two more than the Vikings.

Notably, their highly touted edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux only contributed four of those.

Interior rusher Dexter Lawrence has a team-high six sacks, second in the league.

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

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

Things are getting tougher now, however, as Thibodeaux is expected to miss 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. When asked if his team was still a contender, coach Zac Taylor said, “I still believe in it.”

His quarterback doesn’t whistle the same tune.

“We’re not a championship-caliber team right now,” Joe Burrow said. “We are not. I like to think we will come back and improve as the season progresses to get to this point, but right now that is not the case and we need to get better.”

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

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

“I know something has been done about the fact that he didn’t have as many chances early on, but we have a lot of confidence in him,” Daniel Jones said. “You saw what he could do and his physicality, his size and strength in the midfield.”

Who runs it? It wasn’t shocking that veteran Darius Slayton had a big game last week, taking Malik Nabers’ spot.

It was a pleasant surprise for the Giants when 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 won’t be ready for a full load. Tracy brings a more physical presence to the backfield at 210 pounds.

“No, it’s not a surprise,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “He’s a good player and we expect him to do what he does.”