What We Saw: Preseason Week 2

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Bengals @ Giants

Final Score: Giants 25, Bengals 22

Writer: Ryan Radel (@RadelFF on Twitter)

One of these teams has a very clear picture of the talent and potential on their roster. The other team is in quite the opposite situation. No matter the roster, this was a great game to the final whistle. The Bengals entered the 4th quarter with a 16-7 lead, but some late quarter heroics from one of the Giants pass catchers turned the tides late. Giants top pick Kayvon Thibodeaux took a shot to his right knee and had to exit the game in the second quarter, walking off under his own power after the cart was initially driven onto the field. We also got a to see a product of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program take the field in the fourth quarter for the Giants. The biggest takeaway from this game should be very obvious when we get to the Giants wide receivers.

Cincinnati Bengals

| Preseason Week 1 |

Quarterback

Brandon Allen: 14/20, 105 yards, Sack, Fumble | 2 carries, 2 yards

Jake Browning: 10/16, 89 yards | 1 carry, 7 yards

Drew Plitt: 1/2, 17 yards

Joe Burrow was rested alongside many of the other starters for the Bengals. Brandon Allen played it safe while he was on the field took only what was given – he ended the game with 5.3 yards per completion. Allen took a bad sack and fumbled on a 3rd and manageable with around three minutes left in the half, but luckily for him one of his linemen fell on it. Drew Plitt didn’t even get a full series. Jake Browning came in for him on 3rd and 10 to toss an incompletion. In general this group was pretty bland.

Down he goes 💪

📺: @NBCNewYork/@NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/s5DKRwjJWk

— New York Giants (@Giants) August 22, 2022

Running Back

Trayveon Williams: 9 carries, 28 yards, TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards

Jacques Patrick: 4 carries, 28 yards, TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards

Chris Evans: 5 carries, 3 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 7 yards

Chris Evans got a bunch of targets which was an encouraging sign. The discouraging sign was that he did not do a whole lot with them. With a total of eight touches on the day, he managed a total of 10 yards of offense. Where he did make an impact was special teams with a massive 73-yard kick return. Trayveon Williams and Jacques Patrick each scored on runs from inside the five, with Patrick basically going in untouched. Williams, on the other hand, was outright seeking contact as he crossed the line. Overall it was encouraging to see the utility and depth the Bengals have at the position.

Trayveon Williams for six!

TUNE IN: 📺 Local 12 📲 Bengals App pic.twitter.com/qdJXqzArnC

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 22, 2022

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Kwamie Lassiter II: 7 targets, 7 receptions, 91 yards

Trent Taylor: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards

Kendric Pryor: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 28 yards

Trenton Irwin: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 16 yards

Thaddeus Moss: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards

Stanley Morgan: 3 targets, 1 reception, 10 yards

Scotty Washington: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards

Mike Thomas: 2 targets

Jaivon Heiligh: 2 targets

Nick Eubanks: 1 target, 1 reception, -2 yards

A lot of the guys in this pass-catching group are on the roster bubble and did not do much to make a case to stick on the 53-man roster. The quarterbacks weren’t doing them many favors either. The only receiver to stand out was Kwamie Lassiter II. He caught everything thrown his way and nearly reached 100 yards, which is a pretty good way for a UDFA to find his way on a roster come the regular season.

What a game for former @KU_Football @kwamie_lassiter …7 catches on 7 targets for 91 yards. pic.twitter.com/vmOXisenN1

— Kevin Romary (@KevinRomary) August 22, 2022

New York Giants

| Preseason Week 1 |

Quarterback

Davis Webb: 22/27, 204 yards, 2 TD | 2 carries, 1 yard

Daniel Jones: 14/16, 116 yards, INT | 1 carry, 5 yards

Tyrod Taylor: 7/11, 37 yards, Sack | 1 carry, 4 yards

Is it weird to anyone else how much Daniel Jones played in this game? His opening drive ended with a turnover on downs. His second drive ended with an interception. His third and final drive thankfully went well, as Jones led the Giants 84 yards on 11 plays for the eventual score. Tyrod Taylor did not do much with his time on the field, throwing for only 37 yards and taking a sack in two drives. Then, it was the David Webb show. After his first drive stalled, Webb put together back-to-back-to-back scoring drives to eventually take the lead with around 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game. Webb ended the day with an excellent stat line, and needs to be thankful he has receivers that can do stuff like this:

Big gain 🙌

📺: @NBCNewYork/@NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/fIqIrwMQc2

— New York Giants (@Giants) August 21, 2022

Running Back

Jashaun Corbin: 9 carries, 27 yards, TD | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 15 yards

Antonio Williams: 5 carries, 26 yards | 7 targets, 7 receptions, 46 yards

Sandro Platzgummer: 2 carries, 4 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards

The Giants offensive line was not able to create a lot of space for their running backs overall, with Williams being the only ball carrier to average over 3 yards per carry. Jashaun Corbin was able to find a lane to the endzone on a run up the middle from short and goal. Antonio Williams was the checkdown favorite of the day as he caught every dump off that came his way, which can be a big boost in confidence for your quarterback. My new favorite name for an NFL running back is Sandro Platzgummer. He’s an Austrian running back from the International Player Pathway Program. He didn’t really do much, I just wanted to bold his name for your reading pleasure.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Alex Bachman: 14 targets, 11 receptions, 122 yards, 2 TD

David Sills V: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 56 yards

Collin Johnson: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 41 yards

Keelan Doss: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 34 yards

Marcus Kemp: 3 targets, 1 reception, 17 yards

Daniel Bellinger: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards

Richie James: 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards

Chris Myarick: 1 target, 1 receptions, 4 yards

Austin Allen: 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

Wan’Dale Robinson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, -3 yards

No, your eyes aren’t failing you. Second round pick Wan’Dale Robinson brought in all three of his targets for a net loss of three total yards. The Giants were trying to get the ball in his hands at the line of scrimmage and let him work, but he had absolutely zero room for the entirety of what ended up being a disappointing showing for a very hyped rookie. Several other pass catchers got involved, but the relevant standouts were David Sills V, who looked like a reliable target moving forward bringing in five of seven targets for 56 yards, and 2019 UDFA Alex Bachman. Bachman went nuclear on the Bengals secondary, going for over 120 yards and two scores. One of those scores was eventually the game winner late in the game, and the other was this crossing route where Bachman caught it in stride and blew by the defense down the sideline before showing off his dance moves: