New York Giants 25 – Cincinnati Bengals 23

Oshane Ximines – © USA TODAY Sports

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

NEW YORK GIANTS 25 – CINCINNATI BENGALS 23…
The New York Giants improved their preseason record to 3-0 on Thursday night by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 25-23 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Running back Saquon Barkley was once again a healthy scratch from the game. He has not played all preseason.

The Bengals received the football to start the game. After picking up 28 yards on a pass, Cincinnati only gained four more yards before punting. With quarterback Eli Manning at the helm, the Giants started their initial possession at their own 11-yard line. New York put together a 15-play, 66-yard drive that stalled inside the red zone and resulted in a 41-yard field goal by place kicker Adrick Rosas. The drive was kept alive with a 19-yard completion by wide receiver Russell Shepard on 3rd-and-6. Wide receiver Cody Latimer could not hold onto what could have been an 18-yard touchdown pass.

The Bengals went three-and-out on their second possession. Daniel Jones entered the game at quarterback with the starting unit. He completed two throws for 26 yards before two incompletions led to a turnover on downs at the Bengals’ 30-yard line. Cincinnati then easily drove 70 yards in six plays to go ahead 7-3 on a 26-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Andy Dalton.

The Giants picked up one first down on their third series before punting. The Bengals then drove to the New York 38-yard line but turned the ball over on downs. On 2nd-and-5, Jones completed a 35-yard pass to wide receiver Brittan Golden. Two plays later, Jones was crushed by both defensive ends. He fumbled the ball but the Giants recovered. On the very next snap, on 3rd-and-16, Jones completed a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Darius Slayton down to the 1-yard line despite tremendous pass pressure again. Two plays later, running back Rod Jones scored from one yard out. Giants 10 – Bengals 7.

The Bengals responded with a 12-play drive that only picked up 43 yards, but it was good enough to set up a 50-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10 right before halftime.

Alex Tanney entered the game as New York’s quarterback to start the 3rd quarter. After picking up one first down, the Giants punted. The Bengals drove to the New York 30-yard line, but for the second time in the game, turned the ball over on downs. After two punts by the Giants and one by the Bengals, Cincinnati went up 17-10 early in the 4th quarter on a 5-play, 45-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass.

With Kyle Lauletta now in at quarterback, the Giants responded with an 8-play, 74-yard effort that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Jon Hilliman. On this drive, Lauletta completed two passes for 30 yards to tight end Garrett Dickerson, including one key 3rd-and-9 conversion. Lauletta also threw a 36-yard strike to wide receiver Reggie White, Jr. Head Coach Pat Shurmur decided to go for the 2-point conversion, and the Giants went up 18-17 on Lauletta’s pass to wide receiver Alonzo Russell.

It looked like the Giants had safely put the game away after a Bengals’ three-and-out, followed by a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown by Brittan Golden. The Giants were now up 25-17 with seven minutes to go in the game. However, after another three-and-out by the Bengals, Golden muffed his next punt return. Cincinnati recovered at the Giants’ 35-yard line. Seven plays later, the Bengals scored on a 2-yard touchdown pass. Fortunately, the 2-point conversion failed.

With 2:43 left on the clock, the Giants held onto a tenuous 25-23 lead. However, New York was able to run out the clock with an important 11-yard pass by Lauletta to tight end C.J. Conrad and then a 6-yard end-around by Reggie White, Jr.

Eli Manning finished 2-of-4 for 41 yards, but also had two drops by Latimer. Daniel Jones completed 9-of-11 passes for 141 yards. Alex Tanney completed 2-o-6 for 25 yards. Kyle Lauletta was 4-of-7 for 77 yards. The leading rushers were Wayne Gallman (8 carries for 31 yards), Jon Hilliman (6 carries for 14 yards and a touchdown), and Rod Smith (5 carries for 8 yards and a touchdown). No player caught more than three passes, though Brittan Golden had two catches for 59 yards (and one drop).

Defensively, the Giants accrued five sacks, including those by linebacker Oshane Ximines (2), linebacker Josiah Tauaefa, linebacker Keion Adams, and safety Sean Chandler. While the Giants did not force a turnover, they did have six tackles for a loss and eight pass defenses.

Video highlights are available at Giants.com.

INJURY REPORT…
WR Sterling Shepard (thumb), WR Golden Tate (concussion), OT Chad Wheeler (back), OT George Asafo-Adjei (concussion), LB Alec Ogletree (calf), CB Deandre Baker (knee), CB Antonio Hamilton (groin), and CB Sam Beal (hamstring) did not play.

Running back Saquon Barkley was a healthy scratch.

Running back Rod Smith left the game with a groin injury and did not return.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Pat Shurmur and the following players are available at Giants.com:

• Head Coach Pat Shurmur (Video)
• QB Eli Manning (Video)
• QB Daniel Jones (Video)
• QB Kyle Lauletta (Video)

GIANTS CUT DA’MARI SCOTT…
The New York Giants have waived wide receiver Da’Mari Scott. The Giants claimed Scott off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills in July 2019. The 6’0”, 205-pound Scott was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2018 NFL Draft. The Browns waived him in December and he was then signed by the Bills. While he played in three regular-season games with the Bills, he does not yet have a reception in the NFL.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Pat Shurmur will address the media by conference call on Friday. The players are off on Saturday and return to training camp practice on Sunday.