Aug 152015
 
Mykkele Thompson, New York Giants (August 14, 2015)

Mykkele Thompson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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Cincinnati Bengals 23 – New York Giants 10: The New York Giants were badly out-played by the Cincinnati Bengals in the team’s first preseason game. But worse for the Giants was the news on the injury front. The Giants lost four defensive backs in the game, one probably for the season.

Rookie safety Mykkele Thompson left with an Achilles injury. Head Coach Tom Coughlin said there is a “big concern” that he has ruptured his Achilles’ tendon. If so, he would be lost for the 2015 season. In addition, rookie safety Landon Collins (knee), cornerback Jayron Hosley (neck and possible concussion), and cornerback Trumaine McBride (hamstring) all left the game. Hosley will undergo an MRI on his neck and concussion tests. Collins was optimistic about his injury but will also undergo an MRI on his knee.

For a team already missing cornerback Prince Amukamara (groin), cornerback Chykie Brown (knee), and safety Nat Berhe (calf), the Giants already appear snake bit in the secondary.

As for the game, there were a few highlights from reserve players such as running back Orleans Darkwa, running back/returner Akeem Hunt, and cornerback Trevin Wade. The defensive line also flashed at times. But there were a lot of negatives including starters right guard John Jerry, right tackle Marshall Newhouse, and defensive tackle Markus Kuhn. The first-team defensive unit struggled and the Giants had trouble stopping the run all night. In a nutshell, the Giants had trouble moving the ball and the Bengals didn’t.

The Giants starting offense was so bad that Coughlin kept quarterback Eli Manning and the starting offense in for four drives and the entire first quarter. In 15 plays, they only gained 38 yards and one first down. Meanwhile, the Bengals starting offense cut through the Giants starting defense like butter on their only drive, moving 52 yards in six plays, four of those plays being first downs. The Bengals added a field goal on their second drive with starting quarterback Andy Dalton out of the game as Cincinnati quickly went up 10-0.

“Really, we just played against what we saw in practice against them this week,’’ said Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap. “We were fortunate they gave us some plays we were ready for. You can’t read a lot into this; it’s just one quarter of a preseason game.”

The Giants scored all of their points in the second quarter with quarterback Ryan Nassib at quarterback. The Giants first drove 67 yards in eight plays for a touchdown and then set up a 41-yard field goal after gaining 45 yards in nine plays. But the Bengals also added added another touchdown with an 11-play, 80-yard effort.

The Giants offense was dreadful in the second half, scoring no points. While the Bengals only kicked two field goals after the intermission, they had little problem moving the ball until reaching the Giants red zone.

Offensively, Eli Manning was only 4-of-8 for 22 yards, Ryan Nassib 8-of-18 for 79 yards, and Ricky Stanzi 3-of-7 for 34 yards. There were no touchdown throws or interceptions. The leading receiver was wideout Julian Talley who caught three passes for 34 yards. The leading running back was Darkwa who gained 52 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. The Giants big three of Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, and Andre Williams carried the ball six times for 16 yards. The Giants only gained 224 net yards and 13 first downs.

Defensively, the Giants gave up 432 net yards, including 225 rushing yards and 207 passing yards. The team gave up 29 first downs to the Bengals.

Akeem Hunt did return a kickoff 70 yards yards on special teams.

Video highlights/lowlights of the game are available at Giants.com.

Post-Game Notes: Not playing were wide receiver Victor Cruz (recovering from knee surgery), cornberback Prince Amukamara (groin), cornerback Chykie Brown (knee), offensive guard Geoff Schwartz (ankle), offensive tackle Will Beatty (PUP – pectoral), linebacker Jameel McClain (neck), and safety Nat Berhe (calf).

Article on the 2015 New York Giants: Carl Banks: Giants must assume JPP won’t be back by Ryan Lazo of The New York Post

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Eric Kennedy

Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.

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