Good afternoon Giants enthusiasts! Welcome to Week 3 in the NFL!
I'm Chris Mascaro and I'll be bringing you all of today's live game action, as the Giants (2-0) welcome the Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) to the Meadowlands.
Last year at this time, the Giants were 0-2 and needed a goal-line stand in Washington to salvage their season. Yet this year, the Giants are sitting pretty at 2-0, with no games against a team with a winning record until Week 8 in Pittsburgh.
The Giants have cruised to an undefeated start behind a defense that has allowed just 20 points through the first two games (last year, that number was 80). Justin Tuck has turned into one of the best defensive ends in the league, the linebackers are flying to the football and the secondary is keeping deep threats at bay. But let's be honest, the opposing offenses the first two weeks aren't exactly the greatest shows on turf.
Anyway, let's switch gears to the Bengals, which have plenty of issues, including an identity crisis. Carson Palmer has yet to throw a touchdown pass, while running back Chris Perry already has four fumbles. And that guy with the funny Spanish name? Just five catches for 59 yards in the first two games (losses to Baltimore and Tennessee).
The problem for the Bengals is that they seem to play right into the Giants' strengths. The Bengals can't protect the quarterback (Palmer has been sacked three times this season) and the Giants rush the passer very well (seven team sacks already). The Bengals can't stop the run (they have allowed an average of 203 yards per game on the ground), while the Giants thrive off their potent rushing attack (354 yards through two games). The signs point to an easy Giants' win heading into the bye week.
With that said, let's get to the keys to today's game...
1. Don't let the Bengals hang around. The Rams closed the Giants' lead to 20-13 early in the fourth quarter last week before New York cruised to a 41-13 victory. All this week, the Giants have been trying to convince themselves the Bengals are good. Because if Cincy actually gets rolling, then comes some of the nonsense that may distract the Giants from the task at hand. So bottom line: they want to bury the Bengals early, which is certainly possible. The game went into overtime, so this mission failed.
2. Stand tall Eli. One of the things the Bengals actually do well is bat down passes. They have 11 pass deflections, including four by Jonathan Joseph and another three by Leon Hall (although Joseph is out today with an injured ankle). Opposing defenses always seem to get their hands on Eli Manning's passes (though he has just one INT). If the Bengals can turn those batted balls into turnovers, they can keep this game close. The Joseph injury hurts though. Eli had a ball tipped at the line in overtime that was almost picked off after floating like a duck. Could have been a game-altering turnover.
3. Don't fall into the trap. I believe we haven't even come close to seeing the Giants at their full potential. This game is a typical "trap game," as the Giants are looking forward to a week off next Sunday while facing a team that has struggled mightily. The Giants would be remiss to not nip the Bengals in the bud early on. The Giants trailed for the first time all season.
4. Pay homage to Yankee Stadium. So you probably heard the old ballpark in the Bronx is hosting its last game today. And that the Giants played a famous game there. What's the correlation really? I don't know. I ran out of keys to the game because the Bengals really stink and this game should be a blowout. No blowout, but the Giants improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2000. That's all that counts.
Here are the inactives for today's game, courtesy of Giants' beat writer Tom Rock. John Carney will get the kicking duties yet again, while Domenik Hixon will return punts for a second straight week.
Okay, plenty more to talk about today, so let's get the comments going in the chat box below! And be sure to vote on the poll questions (which continuously scroll on the bottom of the chat box)!
I'll be back with updates after each quarter.
We're about 15 minutes from football on CBS!
Recap of the 1st Quarter:
Bengals 3, Giants 0
*The Giants are trailing for the first time this year.
Bengals' first scoring drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 6:20
Scoring play: Shayne Graham 22-yard field goal
Key play: Palmer scrambled for 15 yards on a 3rd-and-10 from the Giants' 20
Players who impressed for the Giants:
-Steve Smith made two catches for 13 yards in the first quarter. Nothing spectacular, but it's a good sign for the Giants to get him involved early.
-Fred Robbins and Corey Webster each recorded a sack of Palmer.
Players who struggled:
-Jacobs had just nine yards on five carries and couldn't convert a 3rd-and-1.
-Jeff Feagles put his first punt into the end zone, something he usually doesn't do.
-Darcy Johnson was flagged for a boneheaded block in the back penalty on Hixon's first punt return.
-Robbins had trouble with the hard snap counts, with two encroachment penalties.
What to watch for in the second quarter: Can the Giants' offense get in gear?
End of the 2nd Quarter:
Bengals 13, Giants 10
Giants' first scoring drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:02
Scoring play: Jacobs 1-yard run (Carney kick)
Key play: A defensive pass interference penalty on David Jones on a 3rd-and-7 from near midfield gave the Giants a 1st-and-10 on the Bengals' 36.
Bengals' second scoring drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 3:16
Scoring play: Chris Perry 22-yard run (Graham kick)
Key play: Antonio Chatman made a nice run and catch for 25 yards on 2nd-and-10 from their own 47.
Giants' second scoring drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:25
Scoring play: Carney 24-yard field goal
Key play: Manning found Kevin Boss for 26 yards on 2nd-and-8 from their own 45
Bengals' third scoring drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 3:23
Scoring play: Graham 30-yard field goal
Key play: Palmer to Houshmandzadeh for 26 yards on 3rd-and-7 from their own 35
Players who impressed for the Giants:
-Boss made the first two catches for a Giants tight end this season for 47 yards.
-Derrick Ward had 23 yards on two carries, including a 22-yarder to help setup the field goal. He also made three catches for 26 yards.
-Barry Cofield chased down Palmer and just tripped him up for the Giants' third sack of the game. Kiwanuka added a fourth later in the quarter.
-Reuben Droughns had a nice 34-yard kick return to give the Giants good field position on their field-goal drive.
Players who struggled:
-Plaxico Burress dropped an easy pass that would have given the Giants a first down.
-Kevin Dockery gave too much space to Chatman on his 25-yard catch, allowing him to spring free to the Giants' 26.
-Tuck couldn't get onsides fast enough on the Bengals' two-minute drive and was penalized five yards.
**Chad Johnson (Ocho Cinco?) has just one catch for six yards (although it did go for a first down) in the first half. Kenny Phillips knocked the ball out of Johnson's hands the only other time he was thrown to.
What to watch for in the second half: Can the Giants avoid the upset?
Recap of the 3rd Quarter:
Giants 13, Bengals 13
Giants' third scoring drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 3:38
Scoring play: Carney 46-yard field goal (The 20-year vet is a perfect 7-for-7 on field goals on the season)
Key play: Hixon 12-yard reception from Manning on 3rd-and-10 from their own 42
Players who impressed for the Giants:
-Hixon has three catches for 29 yards, and fought hard to pickup a first down on the field-goal drive (see above).
-Sam Madison and Dockery each made a tackle for a loss.
-Dave Tollefson picked up the sixth sack of Palmer on the afternoon. Five different players have recorded at least one.
Players who struggled:
-Eli Manning has completed just 14-of-24 passes for 147 yards on the afternoon.
-Jacobs looks slow hitting the holes. The Giants may want to go with the quicker Ward or shiftier Ahmad Bradshaw in the fourth quarter.
What to watch for in the fourth quarter: Can the Giants get to 3-0?
End of Game, Giants win 26-23 on Carney's 22-yard field goal in overtime.
Giants: 3-0
Bengals: 0-3
Giants' fourth scoring drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 3:38
Scoring play: Carney 46-yard field goal (he's now 8-of-8 on the season)
Key play: Steve Smith's 15-yard reception on a swing pass from Manning on 3rd-and-14 from their own 49
Bengals' fourth scoring drive: 12 plays, 82 yards, 4:39
Scoring play: Houshmandzadeh 17-yard reception from Palmer (Graham kick). It was Palmer's first touchdown pass of the season.
Key play: Palmer, who was 7-for-7 on the drive, completed two third-down passes to Houshmandzadeh, including the touchdown throw.
Giants' fifth scoring drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 2:49
Scoring play: Boss 4-yard reception from Manning
Key play: Smith had a 15-yard reception over the middle from Manning on 3rd-and-10 from the Bengals' 32
Bengals' fifth scoring drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 1:50
Scoring play: Graham 21-yard field goal
Key play: Reggie Kelly's 12-yard reception from Palmer on 3rd-and-2 from the Giants' 46
Giants' sixth scoring drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 1:49
Scoring play: Carney's 22-yard field goal (his fourth of the game)
Key play(s): Burress 28-yard reception from Manning down the left sideline on 2nd-and-10 from their own 34. Then Toomer 31-yard catch from Manning on 3rd-and-10 from the Cincy 38 (great job keeping his feet in bounds).
Players who impressed for the Giants:
-You won't see many plays bigger than the catches by Burress and Toomer in the final drive.
-Boss took a shot when he caught the ball in the end zone, but he hung on for the score.
-Ward had runs of 22 and 14 yards on the final touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
-Manning looked very poised on the final drive (of regulation and overtime), coolly finding his receivers on underneath routes.
-Excellent job by Smith to stay in bounds down the right sideline and pickup the first down on the first field-goal drive of the quarter.
-Antonio Pierce made a heads-up play to take a 5-yard offsides penalty after he realized the Giants had just 10 men on defense. The five yards were costly, but a play against 10 men could have been far worse.
-Kenny Phillips and Dockery made a nice stop on Antonio Chatman to save a touchdown on the penultimate play of regulation.
-Cofield made a nice stop on Perry to bring up third down for Cincy in overtime. Madison knocked away the third-down pass on the ensuing play to force a punt.
Players who struggled:
-James Butler made a decent play on the ball, but it clearly wasn't enough on Houshmandzadeh's touchdown catch.
-The secondary as a whole gave the Bengals' receivers a lot of room off the line of scrimmage.
Here are your three stars for today's game:
1. Carney: 4-for-4 on field goals today, and a perfect 9-for-9 on the season
2. Manning: 26-for-43 for 289 yards and a touchdown
3. Ward: 9 carries for 80 yards, and 3 receptions for 26 yards
Antonio Pierce made 13 stops, Steve Smith had 60 yards on seven catches, Toomer had 64 on five receptions, Burress had 45 on three catches. Brandon Jacobs had 14 carries for 35 yards and a TD.
Carson Palmer was 27-of-39 for 286 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Perry had 74 yards on 20 carries. Houshmandzadeh made 12 catches for 146 yards.
As always, it was my honor and pleasure to bring everyone all of today's live game action. Thanks so much for coming out! Hope to see ya'll real soon. Check back above for updates on my pregame keys to the game.
Off week for the Giants next Sunday. They'll return Oct. 5 at home against Seattle.
Have a good night!