2024-10-14 12:50:03
EAST RUTHERFORD – This was one of those games that can alter the perception of a season.
The Giants just could not finish the job.
They were aggressive when needed in the second half. The defense was outstanding in holding down Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals’ high-powered offense.
Yet in the end, the Giants could not deliver to seize control of the game. Daniel Jones’ fourth-down pass to Darius Slayton was knocked away by Bengals cornerback DJ Turner, and there went a chance to pick up their second straight upset victory, instead losing, 17-7.
The Bengals (2-4) came in as the favorites despite their record, and the Giants could have put themselves smack dab in the NFC East race with Dallas and Washington losing Sunday, and Philadelphia coming here next Sunday in Saquon Barkley’s return to MetLife Stadium.
The Giants (2-4) have been fighting for respect. They have been battling to convince others that the 2024 campaign was not over following another 0-2 start.
Sunday night’s performance was again about missed opportunities. Greg Joseph hooked a 47-yard field goal wide left, one that would have tied the score early in the fourth quarter. The Giants bypassed another chance for Joseph, which would have come from beyond 50 yards, and Jones was unable to connect with Slayton.
On the Bengals’ final drive, Burrow hit Princeton’s Andrei Iosivas for 29 yards on a third-and-12. A stop there, and the Giants get another chance on offense. Then came the most difficult one to accept: Micah McFadden stripped the ball from Bengals back Chase Brown, and the fumble squirted on the turf away from safety Jason Pinnock, toward the sideline and then out of bounds at the two-minute warning with 1;58 left.
One play later, Brown ripped off a 30-yard touchdown run. Ball game.
Here’s our analysis from throughout the game:
Greg Joseph’s 47-yard field goal sails wide left as the Giants miss an opportunity to pull even. Brian Daboll went for it on fourth down earlier in the possession and they converted, but the drive stalled when a Daniel Jones third down pass was knocked down by former Giant B.J. Hill at the line.
Dexter Lawrence was in the middle of two huge plays for the Giants as they forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal. Cincinnati took the lead, but it could have been bigger. Lawrence drew a holding penalty that negated a touchdown run by Chase Brown. On the next play, Lawrence sacked Joe Burrow – his seventh of the year – to force the field goal.
The Giants’ offense finally found the end zone, and it was a grind. No matter, as Tyrone Tracy Jr. muscles his way into the end zone from one yard out to cap a 16-play drive on which the Giants converted two fourth-down plays.
Maybe Brian Daboll knew something. He put the trust in his defense after going for that failed fourth down in their own territory and Big Blue rewarded his decision. Bobby Okereke forced a fumble by Zack Moss and Micah McFadden recovered. Can the Giants’ offense find the end zone and make this a game?
It’s one thing to play to win. The Giants went for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 38, and Daniel Jones’ throw beyond the sticks to Wan’Dale Robinson was knocked down by Mike Hilton. The Bengals and Joe Burrow are in business.
BENGALS
Passing: Joe Burrow 9-15, 87 yards
Rushing: Burrow 2-57, TD; Chase Brown 5-13; Zack Moss 4-9
Receiving: Tee Higgins 4-48; Ja’Marr Chase 2-19; Brown 1-11; Andrei Iosivas 1-7; Moss 1-2
GIANTS
Passing: Daniel Jones 8-16, 81 yards, INT
Rushing: Jones 5-37, Tyrone Tracy 3-3, Eric Gray 2-7
Receiving: Tracy 3-33, Wan’Dale Robinson 2-22, Darius Slayton 2-20, Jalin Hyatt 1-6
The Giants’ defense is balling. The offense and Daniel Jones are scuffling. Still, it’s a game. Can the Giants score a touchdown at home? They have not yet this season.
You can’t do that, Daniel Jones. He was plastered by B.J. Hill after missing his hot read, Tyrone Tracy, who was open, and tried to throw the ball up. The result: unfortunate. The duck landed right in the waiting arms of Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt. The Giants had been driving for a potential game-tying score.
The Giants had to be wary of Joe Burrow’s right arm. Instead, on the game’s opening drive, Burrow crushed them with his legs. Facing a third-and-18 after a Brian Burns sack, Burrow took advantage of the Giants’ overaggressive pursuit on the left side, found a crease and scooted 47 yards for a stunning touchdown.
The Giants had all of the momentum. The building was rocking.
And just like that, the Bengals had the lead. Maybe it’s an omen, considering the Giants have trailed 7-0 in each of their two wins, and early.
BENGALS
GIANTS
Wrote all about Daniel Jones’ prime time record of 1-14 earlier this week, breaking down the results going back to his rookie season. His poor play at home is also reason for concern, going back to the 2022 game against the Colts in which the fans chanted his name. The Giants are 0-2 at MetLife this season and the offense hasn’t scored a TD in Jones’ last four home starts.
The Giants will not have leading receiver Malik Nabers (concussion protocol) and leading rusher Devin Singletary (groin) for the second straight week. That puts pressure on Darius Slayton and rookie Tyrone Tracy, both of whom went over 100 yards against the Seahawks.
The Giants will turn to Azeez Ojulari to pair with Brian Burns at outside linebacker with Kayvon Thibodeaux having been placed on injured reserve Saturday following wrist surgery. Thibodeaux will be out a minimum of four games.
The Giants have also signed punter Matt Haack with Jamie Gillan out with a hamstring injury. Haack will do the punting and holding for field goals and point-after-touchdown kicks. They were not going to risk a special teams injury that came back to bite them in Week 1 with Gunner Olszewski (groin) and Week 2 with Graham Gano (groin/hamstring).
For the Bengals, RBs Chase Brown (quadricep) and Zack Moss (foot) are expected to play. Brown is listed as questionable. CB Mike Hilton (knee) has been a full participant in practice this week, but he is listed as questionable.
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The pick: Giants 28, Bengals 24
Here’s why: Talk about momentum shifts. If that ever truly mattered in the NFL, this is a week where everything seems to point to the Giants coming up with their best effort at home in a while. How much more do the Bengals have in the tank to overcome a jarring overtime loss to the Ravens? They certainly have the weapons to make the Giants pay all over the field, but we’ll go Big Blue in this one in a close one. This team has gotten better every week, and that’s half the battle in this league.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM:
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