New York Giants vs. AFC North

The Giants are set to play all four AFC North teams this season, and each matchup will bring its own set of unique challenges, opportunities, and storylines.

In The MMQB's recent 2020 division preview series, Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr and Ravens Maven Todd Karpovich made the cases for either the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens to contend for the playoffs this year.

But which team will be the toughest challenge for the Giants?

Baltimore Ravens

The back-to-back division champion Ravens, led by reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, would seem to be the early favorite for the Giants' toughest AFC North opponent in 2020.

The Giants will be tested late in the season with a Week 16 slugfest in Baltimore, where they are winless in four meetings against the Ravens dating back to their inception in 1996.

RELATED: Giants Week 16 Opponent Preview | Baltimore Ravens

On paper, the matchup against Baltimore might not just be the toughest AFC North team the Giants will face, but the Ravens could even be the Giants' toughest opponent of the season.

Jackson led Baltimore to a historic 14-2 season, spearheaded by an offense that recorded the most rushing yards in NFL history with 3,296.

By Week 16, the Giants and the Ravens could prove to be completely different teams from last year.

The Giants are trying to build a new identity under the leadership of rookie head coach Joe Judge. Meanwhile, for Baltimore, a 14-2 record has historically been very difficult to follow up on a year-to-year basis for any team not named the New England Patriots.

Dating back to 2000, teams (minus the Patriots) that finished with 14 wins or more typically have fallen back to Earth the next year, averaging just 9.7 wins the ensuing season.

Those odds still reflect a very high chance for Baltimore to be a good team playing for playoff positioning in Week 16.

Regardless of how improved the Giants are under Judge, the Ravens should be locked in as a tough out on the road in late December and should be considered their most challenging AFC North opponent going into 2020.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Unlike the Ravens matchup, Judge and the Giants won't have proven anything by the time they face the Steelers.

RELATED: Giants Week 1 Opponent Preview | Pittsburgh Steelers

The Giants' home opener against Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football will carry the weight of Judge's debut as a head coach. The Giants will have an opportunity to make a statement against a perennial playoff contender and a Super Bowl-winning head coach and quarterback in Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger, respectively.

The Steelers will have plenty to prove too. Roethlisberger will be making his return from a season-ending elbow injury in 2019 that sidelined him for the final 14 games.

Tomlin will be leading the Steelers off of back-to-back seasons of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13.

How the Giants perform in Week 1 could mean a lot regarding establishing initial expectations for Judge in his rookie season. After opening at home, the Giants have games against the Bears, 49ers and Rams lined up, all of which go into the season as NFC playoff contenders.

Getting that stretch off to a good start will be critical for setting the tone of the Judge era and a potential playoff berth.

The Giants' young roster hasn't had a normal offseason to build chemistry or compete in any preseason games. This presents its own set of challenges unique to this game, regardless of who the opponent would be.

The fact that the opponent is a winning veteran team like the Steelers only emphasizes that challenge, and the fact that the game is on a national stage takes it to another level pressure-wise for the young players and their young head coach.

Cleveland Browns

Whether fans want to admit it or not, the Giants have had more in common with the Browns than any other AFC North team in the last three years.

RELATED: Giants Week 15 Opponent Preview | Cleveland Browns

Since 2017, both teams have finished with similar records of 13-34-1 (Browns) and 12-36 (Giants). Both underwent multiple head coaching changes, both had Odell Beckham Jr on their rosters, and both have made first-round draft picks on quarterbacks.

Both Daniel Jones and Baker Mayfield went on to impress as rookies and silence the negative press around their draft statuses, but they still have a lot to prove early in their careers. With that said, neither will be the player on the field with the most to prove in Week 15.

Beckham's return to MetLife Stadium to face his former team is sure to be a top storyline going into this matchup--that is if he can stay healthy.

Facing Beckham might also prove to be the Giants' biggest challenge against the Browns. The Giants' current cornerback situation could leave Beckham with plenty of opportunities to pull a revenge performance against his former team.

Veteran cornerback James Bradberry will likely line up against Beckham for the majority of snaps in Week 15. It will be Bradberry's second matchup against Beckham, the first coming in a Giants-Panthers game in 2018.

In that game, Bradberry had primary coverage for Beckham, who, according to PFF, caught six out of 10 targets for 103 yards, 11 yards after the catch, and one touchdown.

The game will be Beckham's second trip back to the Meadowlands, but first against the Giants, after putting up 161 yards and a touchdown against the Jets in Week 2 last year. But for Beckham, there might be a much broader layer of motivation when taking on the Giants in 2020.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals seem to pose the slightest threat to the Giants of any AFC North team this year.

RELATED: Giants Week 12 Opponent Preview | Cincinnati Bengals

However, history says that Paul Brown Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Giants since its inception. Dating back to their first meeting in 1972, the Giants are winless in six meetings in Cincinnati.

Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, will keep that trend up in Week 12.

Burrow, who is one year older than Jones despite coming into the NFL a year later, brings many of the same attributes that Jones brought as a prospect.

Both have been praised for their football IQ, accuracy, leadership qualities, and ability to traverse the pocket, while not necessarily boasting elite scrambling speed or the biggest of arms.

However, Burrow comes into the NFL with much higher praise and expectations than Jones did as a rookie, especially since Burrow is taking over as the starter.

For the Bengals, upholding that praise against Jones and the Giants could mean a lot to an organization and fan base with very low expectations.

Just as the Bengals appear to be one of the Giants' most beatable opponents at the onset of 2020, the same is true vice versa, and there are no easy games for a team like the Giants this season.

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