Last Sunday’s 29-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks changed the vibes around the New York Giants. Now, with a 2-3 record, they have a big opportunity in a prime-time clash with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Here’s a closer look at that matchup:
Statement game
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said after the Seahawks’ win that he believes the Giants are a good team. The game against the Bengals provides the Giants an opportunity to prove they’re for real and that the win in Seattle wasn’t a fluke.
“Good teams take this and run with it,” Lawrence said.
Dexter Lawrence is on a different level this season! 🔥 #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/2VXHidF5EN
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 9, 2024
The Bengals arrive at MetLife Stadium with a surprising 1-4 record. They’re still talented, particularly on offense, but they aren’t playing at the Super Bowl-contending level of recent seasons.
Even with the Bengals limping into the matchup, it would make a statement for the Giants to emerge with a victory on several fronts.
Quarterback Daniel Jones’ prime-time struggles have been well-documented — he dropped to 1-13 in prime time with the Giants’ 20-15 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in Week 4. But the Giants’ futility in the national spotlight extends far beyond Jones’ six season as the starting quarterback. The Giants have a 12-34 record (.261 winning percentage) in prime time since 2013, which is the worst winning percentage in the league over that span.
A win would also be the Giants’ first at home this season. They’re 0-2 at home and 2-1 on the road.
Most importantly, a win would get the Giants back to .500 for the first time since Week 2 of last season. The 4-1 Commanders face a tough Ravens team on Sunday, so the Giants could be a game out of first place in the NFC East with a victory.
“It gets you back to .500, win at home, prime-time game in front of the fans — it would be awesome to get a win,” wide receiver Darius Slayton said.
Last Sunday’s win at Seattle prevented the Giants’ season from sliding off the tracks. We’ll find out this Sunday if Lawrence’s belief in his team is justified.
Nothing to write home about
Jones has started 32 career games at home and 32 career games on the road. There are some striking similarities in his splits: He’s 12-19-1 at home and 12-20 on the road. He’s completed 665-of-1,040 passes at home and he’s completed 667-of-1,034 passes on the road.
Jones has 6,571 yards passing at home and 7,062 yards passing on the road, so he’s been more productive away from MetLife Stadium. But the staggering splits come with his touchdowns and interceptions. Jones has 27 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions at home, compared to 41 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions on the road.
If there’s an explanation for the drastic difference, Jones doesn’t have it.
“I think the football field is the same, and it’s about going out and playing well, regardless of where you are,” Jones said.
Jones hasn’t been on the field for an offensive touchdown at home since the 2022 season, a span that includes two starts in each of the past two seasons.
GO DEEPER
Is Aaron Rodgers too good for the Jets?
On the ropes
The Bengals defense resorted to a players-only meeting this week. That’s always a sign things are bad.
Cincinnati ranks 31st in points allowed (29 points per game) and 26th in yards allowed (365.4 yards per game). The defensive struggles are magnified because they rank fourth in the league in scoring (28.0 points per game).
The Giants haven’t been lighting up the scoreboard — they rank 27th with a 17.8 points per game average — but they’re coming off their best performance of the season at Seattle. They’ll need to score touchdowns against this vulnerable Bengals defense to keep up with Cincinnati’s high-powered offense.
Nabers-less again?
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers’ status for Sunday is in question as he continues to recover from the concussion he suffered against the Cowboys in Week 4. Nabers worked on the side with trainers during Wednesday’s practice, which was a positive step in the NFL’s concussion protocol. But Nabers didn’t progress to the next step on Thursday, which would have been non-contact participation in practice.
Nabers did less work during the portion of practice open to reporters on Thursday, only riding an exercise back on the side of the field. It’s still possible Nabers could clear the concussion protocol by Sunday, but failing to make progress Thursday casts serious doubt on that possibility.
Running back Devin Singletary is on track to return after missing the Seahawks game with a groin injury. Although rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. excelled in Seattle, don’t expect Singletary to forfeit his status as the No. 1 running back. A more balanced workload for the two backs is the most likely outcome.
GO DEEPER
Did the Giants hit a home run with their draft class? It’s early, but returns are promising
An old friend
It’s been a rough start to the season for the Bengals defense, but coordinator Lou Anarumo is still regarded as a top DC. The Bengals haven’t posted incredible stats during Anarumo’s six seasons — they ranked sixth in points allowed in 2022, but otherwise haven’t finished in the top 10 in any season. Anarumo has bolstered his profile by having more success against the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes than anyone in recent seasons. Most notably, the Bengals beat the Chiefs, 27-24, in the AFC Championship Game in the 2021 season.
Anarumo got the Bengals DC job after an unremarkable season as the Giants’ defensive backs coach in 2018. The Giants ranked 23rd in passing yards allowed with a secondary that featured Janoris Jenkins, BW Webb, Landon Collins and Curtis Riley.
Anarumo’s success as a defensive coordinator reinforces how challenging it is to evaluate position coaches. The Giants interviewed Anarumo for their head coaching vacancy in 2022 before hiring Daboll. Anarumo’s son, Louis, has been an assistant in the Giants’ scouting department since 2022.
Premier matchup
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson is far and away Cincinnati’s top pass rusher. Hendrickson has three sacks and 22 pressures; no other Bengal has more than one sack or 10 pressures.
Hendrickson will match-up exclusively with Giants’ left tackle Andrew Thomas. Unlike other top pass rushers who move around, Hendrickson has lined up on the offense’s left side on 97.7 percent of his snaps this season.
Hendrickson, who had 17.5 sacks last season, has made three straight Pro Bowls. Winning these types of matchups will further solidify Thomas’ status as a premier left tackle.
GO DEEPER
NFL best bets Week 6: Commanders cover train keeps rolling
Edge out
Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a broken scaphoid bone in his wrist. He had a screw inserted into his wrist during the procedure, according to a league source.
It’s not clear how Thibodeaux suffered the injury during Sunday’s win over Seattle. He reported the pain to the team’s medical staff on Monday, and the broken bone was discovered.
The early projection for Thibodeaux’s return is four-to-six weeks, according to a league source. It’s possible he could return sooner, but that will depend on how he feels. Thibodeaux will likely need to wear a cast whenever he returns, so the timeline will be determined by how much he and the team want to push it.
It would be a sign that the Giants believe Thibodeaux can beat the four-week timeline if he’s not placed on injured reserve before Sunday’s game. The Giants often wait until late in the week to place players on IR, so that’s still a possibility for Thibodeaux. The Giants have five games before their Week 11 bye.
Azeez Ojulari will be the top replacement for Thibodeaux. This is a golden opportunity for Ojulari, who has been limited to 37 percent of the snaps in a contract year because he is behind Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the depth chart. Ojulari’s suspect run defense could prompt the Giants to incorporate Boogie Basham, who has been a healthy scratch for the first five games, on early downs.
Beating Burrow
Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen enjoyed success against the Bengals during his time as the Titans’ DC. The Titans beat the Bengals, 27-3, in Week 4 last season and limited the high-powered Cincinnati offense to 20 and 19 points in losses during the 2022 season and 2021 playoffs.
The Titans’ pass rush was the key to those strong defensive efforts. Bowen sent blitzes on 34.3 percent of Burrow’s dropbacks last season, using the pressure to exploit the quarterback’s limited mobility due to a calf injury. Burrow overcame nine sacks to lead the Bengals to a 19-16 win over the Titans in the divisional round of the 2021 playoffs.
Blitzing Burrow too much is a risky proposition because he has consistently been one of the best quarterbacks when pressured throughout his career. Even though he’s never had a stout offensive line, Burrow’s pre- and post-snap recognition makes him effective when pressured and he thrives at getting the ball out quick.
It’s even more perilous to send extra rushers at Burrow because Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins form one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. The Giants aren’t going to want to take players out of coverage often because their young cornerbacks will need help.
Deonte Banks has traveled with the opposing team’s No. 1 wide receiver in every game this season. Banks had his best game last week against Seattle’s DK Metcalf, but it might make sense to just play the corners on sides against the Bengals because Chase and Higgins are so dangerous. If they are going to travel, expect Banks to match-up with Chase because he’s the more physically imposing receiver.
The Giants aced a tough test against a potent Seahawks passing attack last week. The challenge is even greater this week for Bowen and his young secondary.
There were a pair of running backs on the market this offseason that were drafted by the Bills when Daboll was their offensive coordinator and Joe Schoen was their assistant general manager. The Giants signed Singletary, who was a third-round pick in 2019, to a three-year, $16.5 million contract. Zack Moss, who was a third-round pick in 2020, was the other option, but he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Bengals.
A scouting report of Moss was provided by Giants director of pro scouting Chris Rossetti on Hard Knocks.
“Zack Moss is an early-down banger,” Rossetti said in a pre-free agency presentation to the front office. “Really instinctive, ran well. One of the better pass protectors in the NFL. He can catch the ball well; he’s just not going to be dynamic.”
That scouting report has proven accurate. Moss is averaging 3.7 yards per carry as an “early-down banger,” and he’s 13th in the league among running backs in receptions (15) and receiving yards (124).
Moss is complemented by Chase Brown, who is averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Brown has gained 12 or more yards on 17.9 percent of his carries, which is third-most among running backs with at least 30 carries.
Bengals not hiding from the obvious that their season is pretty much over with a loss to the Giants https://t.co/32ARMtFRhY
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) October 10, 2024
Prediction
Bengals 27, Giants 23. This is a winnable game, and it feels like the Giants are due for a prime-time breakthrough, but I’m not as convinced as Lawrence. This game is essentially the last stand for the Bengals. I think they’ll find a way to pull it out.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
(Photo of Dexter Lawrence: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
