The Ravens will be taking their second trip to East Rutherford, New Jersey, this season, this time to do battle against the surprising 4-1 New York Giants, their dazzling running back Saquon Barkley and a longtime Ravens coach who is now on the other sideline, Giants’ defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale.

On their previous visit to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes in the team’s decisive 24-9 over the New York Jets in Week 1.

He returns to MetLife Stadium on Sunday having completed 95 of his 149 passing attempts for 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns and is an early-season candidate for league MVP honors.

A lot is being made of the fact that no one is more familiar with Jackson’s strengths and weaknesses than Martindale, who served as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator for four seasons before being fired and joining the Giants’ staff this season.

That sounds well and good, but there are simply aspects to Lamar’s unique weaponry that no one can prepare for, no matter how familiar they are with his tendencies.

Wink is known for his creative defenses and blitz schemes, but unless he created the Winky Dinky Dog, his time around Jackson does not offer him a discernible advantage.

That’s because Lamar does things that simply can’t be taught, with instincts and lightning-quick reflexes that are more reminiscent of boxing great Roy Jones Jr. than what defenders are accustomed to seeing from the quarterback position.

You can train and watch all the film you want, but until you step on the field to face Lamar, you don’t know the true essence of what you’re up against until his preternatural skills knock you in the mouth.

Each week, the Ravens, now 3-2 and atop the AFC North, unveil subtle new offensive wrinkles, the most recent being their usage of wide receiver Devin Duvernay. Having already proved to be a Pro Bowl kick returner, he’s now establishing himself as Jackson’s most dangerous and explosive weapon. In addition to stretching defenses as a long-ball threat, he’s making tough catches over the middle and running sweeps out of the backfield.

In last week’s 19-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Duvernay rushed the ball three times for 24 yards and caught five passes for 54 yards. Mark Andrews continues to be Jackson’s security blanket, leading the squad with 32 receptions.

To the delight of many, running back J.K. Dobbins ran with a pronounced ruggedness, carrying the ball eight times for 44 yards against the Bengals. Barring any injury setbacks, his presence will not allow defenses to simply focus on Jackson.

The Giants’ offensive formula for success has been simple and straightforward. Their philosophy? Give Barkley the ball.

Barkley leads the NFL with 676 yards from scrimmage. He’s a handful, running with the speed, wiggle and elusiveness of a scatback and the power of a locomotive.

The Giants’ Daniel Jones has not yet proved to be the franchise quarterback of the future, but he’s been an effective game manager this season. His numbers aren’t eye popping, having thrown only three touchdown passes, but he’s limiting the mistakes that have haunted him in previous seasons, which has allowed the Giants to win their four games by a combined margin of 17 points.

The G-Men are off to their best start since 2009, back when Phil, Alan, Doug and Stu stole Mike Tyson’s tiger in “The Hangover.”

The Ravens’ pass defense has been steadily improving while the Giants’ pass offense just might be more terrible than Puff Daddy’s “Forever” album. The key to a Baltimore victory is simple: keep Saquon Barkley in check.

The Giants, winners of four Super Bowls who haven’t been to the playoffs since 2016, are looking to become relevant again.

The Ravens are looking to make a return to the postseason after last year’s 8-9 debacle and get back to resembling those squads that went 14-2 and 11-5 in the two previous seasons.

alejandro.danois@thebaltimorebanner.com