EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For four seasons, Don Martindale was the only N.F.L. defensive coordinator who never needed to worry about stopping Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. He served as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021, and saw Jackson evolve from an uncertain starting quarterback into the league most valuable player in 2019.
Martindale watched from the sideline as Jackson made opposing defenders look inept by continually dodging them in ways resembling a running back or wide receiver. Often, the only person stopping Jackson was Jackson himself, with late-game turnovers.
While Martindale never had to face Jackson’s offense in regular-season games, he did see him every day in practice. He drew up defensive schemes to stop him in scrimmages for nothing more than pride between the team’s offensive and defensive units.
Now that Martindale is the Giants’ defensive coordinator, did that give him an advantage, at least, against the Ravens? On Sunday, two defensive plays late in the game helped give the Giants a 24-20 win, moving them to a 5-1 record and eclipsing their win total from last season.
The Giants are off to their best start since 2009, in large part because of Martindale’s defense. He is an aggressive defensive play caller who is unafraid to send blitzes on key downs, even at quarterbacks who are known for making defenses pay for sending heavy rushes.
The Giants are blitzing 40 percent of the time this season, which ranks second in the league, according to N.F.L. Next Gen Stats. In the Giants’ thrilling Week 5 win over Green Bay, they blitzed quarterback Aaron Rodgers on a fourth-down play that would have sent the game to overtime if the Packers had scored. But the pass was batted down by defensive back Xavier McKinney.
With just under two minutes remaining Sunday, and the Giants clinging to a 4-point lead, Martindale drew up a blitz. Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux found his way to Jackson, sacking him and knocking the ball loose. The Giants recovered the fumble, effectively ending the game.
At times Sunday, Martindale’s approach did not seem to be effective. The Ravens exploited the Giants’ run defense, which had allowed the second-most yards in the league before Sunday, for big runs at every turn. Jackson, Kenyan Drake and J.K. Dobbins combined for 211 yards rushing. Drake, who had 119 yards on 10 carries, eclipsed 100 yards for the first time since November 2020, when he played for the Cardinals.
There were times when the Giants’ pressure would get to Jackson in the backfield, like in the second quarter when the Ravens were at their 10-yard line and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence blew by an offensive lineman and got a hand on Jackson. But Jackson shook Lawrence off and sprinted for 14 yards. As the Ravens had success on the ground, the passing game began to free up as the Giants’ defenders overcommitted to slowing down the rushing attack.
But in the fourth quarter, the defense forced an errant throw that led to an interception and forced the game-sealing fumble, leading the Giants to their fifth win. The victory seemed to cement their status as a good team that is playing well and not simply having a lucky stretch.
