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New York Giants vs Cincinnati Bengals
New York Giants
Quarterbacks
- Daniel Jones: 9/11, 141 Yards
- Eli Manning: 4/8, 41 Yards
Eli Manning was on the field for 15 plays, showing off a strong, accurate arm and some athleticism. He suffered two dropped passes on his first drive by Cody Latimer, including one that would have gone for a touchdown. Eli’s passes have noticeably improved zip on in comparison to the past few years, especially on one particular throw from his back foot that still landed on target. He was also aggressive, going for a touchdown on a third-down throw instead of a check-down pass that was open for a first down. The shocker of the night was when Eli got out in front of Wayne Gallman on a run to throw a block and looked good leading his running back.
Daniel Jones continues to make the Giants and Dave Gettleman look very smart. On his first play of the game, Jones ran a bootleg to the right to hit a wide-open Rhett Ellison who gained 20 yards. Jones showed off good vision and accuracy on his first drive of the night. He led the Giants into Bengals territory, but the drive ultimately stalled after he overthrew a pass to Russell Shepard.
Jones made several impressive throws throughout the night. He had two throws that traveled on a rope to Brittan Golden. Jones used his eyes to look off the safety and let a strike go for his receiver. He also had a gorgeous throw under pressure to Darius Slayton for 27-yards to set the Giants up on the goal line. Jones routinely evaluated the entire field and had excellent ball placement on his throws. He did have another fumble in the game when Nate Solder gave up the edge and allowed a defender to come in almost unblocked. Yet again, Jones responded after the big hit and fumble by leading the Giants down the field for the touchdown. Jones looks impressive in all facets of his game.
Running Backs
- Wayne Gallman: 8 Carries, 31 Yards | 1 Reception 10 Yards
- Rod Smith: 5 Carries, 8 Yards, 1 TD
- Paul Perkins: 3 Carries, 2 Yards | 3 Receptions, 27 Yards
Wayne Gallman showed great vision and his trademark jump cut to get free on several runs. He also had a nice catch and run at the end of the first quarter. The Giants got some impressive blocks from their first-string offensive line, especially from Jon Halapio and Nate Solder on their first two drives.
Rod Smith also impressed with a great power run on the goal line for a touchdown, dragging defenders with him on his second effort. He was contacted almost immediately but powered through several defenders from the one-yard line. He looks like a solid addition to the running backs group; unfortunately, he did get ruled out after the play with a groin strain.
Paul Perkins came into the game in the third quarter and showed off his speed with a run up the right sideline. He followed that up with a smooth catch on the run that allowed him to keep his feet under him and gain a nice chunk of yardage. Perkins struggled with his other runs but showed off smooth hands and route running while catching the ball out of the backfield.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Brittan Golden: 2 Reception, 59 Yards
- Darius Slayton: 1 Reception, 27 Yards
- Cody Latimer: 1 Reception, 9 Yards
- Rhett Ellison: 2 Receptions, 26 Yards
- Evan Engram: 1 Reception, 9 Yards
Brittan Golden had two great catches on the night, showing his ability to both go up and make a grab and to contort his body on the sideline to make a difficult grab. On his first grab, Golden went up to catch a strong throw from Jones for 35-yards. On his second grab of the night, he made an impressive catch on the sideline at the end of the first half. Golden also had an impressive 68-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second half, showing his speed and usefulness on special teams. Unfortunately, he also had a muffed punt that the Bengals recovered in the fourth quarter. Outside of the last punt, Golden has positively impacted two games in a row and might have locked up a roster spot.
Rookie receiver Darius Slayton had one of the best catches of the night for the Giants, going up and grabbing a strong throw from Jones. Had Slayton kept his elbow inbounds he would have rolled into the endzone for the touchdown.
Cody Latimer had two drops on the opening drive of the night. The first was on a pass from Manning that hit him in the hands. Latimer came back with a nice catch in a tight window on a bullet pass from Manning. Latimer’s second drop was from a nicely thrown ball that again hit him in the hands. He was immediately contacted by defenders in good-position, but had he made the catch it would have gone for a touchdown.
Evan Engram was only on the field for a limited number of snaps but looked bigger and faster in his first preseason action. He had a beautifully executed block and release for his first catch and then showed off his speed by running for a first down. Engram had several good blocks on the edge to spring runners free and give Manning a clean pocket.
Rhett Ellison came in and immediately clicked with Jones. On his first reception of the day, he caught a well-thrown ball and showed off his athleticism by running up the right sideline and evading a tackler. From the looks of it, the Giants will be able to deploy two tight ends who can block and still cause problems in the passing game.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterbacks
- Ryan Finley: 14/20, 155 Yards
- Andy Dalton: 7/10, 104 Yards, 1 TD
Andy Dalton looked good in limited action on three offensive drives. He had an excellent pass to C.J. Uzomah off a play-action for a touchdown that sailed right over the outstretched fingers of Jabrill Peppers. Dalton would have had a better night had his receivers caught more of his on-target passes. His offensive line gave up too much pressure early on, but they settled in on the third drive which helped the Bengals get into the endzone.
Ryan Finley showed off his ability to move well within the pocket and get the ball off under pressure. He threw several passes with defenders around him, displaying excellent touch while hitting his receivers in stride. Finley looked very confident and posed in the pocket while commanding the offense. On one play, Finley felt pressure coming from the right side and moved the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield to locate his receiver for a nice completion.
Running Backs
- Rodney Anderson: 8 Carries, 7 Yards | 4 Receptions 51 Yards
- Giovanni Bernard: 3 Carries, 4 Yards | 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Rodney Anderson looks like he could be a big steal for the Bengals after falling to the sixth round due to injury concerns. In 2017, Anderson had a breakout year for the Sooners but suffered a torn ACL in 2018. It doesn’t look like his injury has taken anything away from his game. Anderson was impressive as a runner and receiver out of the backfield against the Giants. He had a great catch and move to get free after the reception and get a first down. He also showed off power running up the middle, breaking attempted tackles, and gaining tough yards. Giovanni Bernard was only in the game for a few drives. All of the Bengals runners had difficulties on the ground running behind a struggling and makeshift offensive line. In total, the Bengals gained only 29-yards on the ground off of 17 carries.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Ventrell Bryant: 4 Receptions, 56 Yards
- Damion Willis: 3 Receptions, 55 Yards, 1 TD
- Tyler Boyd: 1 Reception, 18 Yards
- Auden Tate: 1 Reception, 10 Yards
- C.J. Uzomah: 2 Receptions, 54 Yards, 1 TD
Tyler Boyd got free from his defender on several plays but suffered from a few drops. He made a nice catch on a crossing route over the middle of the field where he created good separation from his defender. His night would have been much better had he not dropped a pass on the Bengals second drive. He was completely open and had the ball bounce right off his hands.
Damion Willis showed off strong hands when he fought through pass interference to make a beautiful grab on a deep pass. He also ran a sharp route on the goal line to catch a three-yard touchdown pass later in the game. With the injury to Auden Tate, Willis might be the next man up in the Bengals passing game. Tate got the start at the second receiver position and looked good running with the first team before a knee injury took him out of the game.
C.J. Uzomah had several big moments in the game. On the Bengals first play of the night, Uzomah took a screen pass for 28-yards. He looked lighter than last year and showed off good speed to get by several defenders while he got some good blocking out in front of him. On the Bengals’ third series of the game, Uzomah quickly created separation with his defender and caught a well timed pass as he streamed into the right side of the endzone for a 26-yard touchdown.
— Ben Davidowitz