The New York Giants travel to Cincinnati to face off agains the Bengals in Week 3 of the 2019 NFL Preseason.
Here are six things to watch for in Thursday’s game:
Giants offense is pretty good for one that’s supposed to stink
Through two preseason games, the Giants are averaging the most points in the NFL — 31.5 per game — and have racked up the second-most yards (411 per). Granted, they played the porous Jets and the Bears’ backups but there can be no denying things look better on offense both by the numbers and to the naked eye. The kicker here is that Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram have yet to play and probably won’t until the regular season begins.
Defense struggles early, then settles — that needs to change
The Giants seemed unsettled on defense early on in both games. Against the Jets, they looked flat-footed as Sam Darnold methodically led Gang Green on an opening touchdown drive. In the second game, Chicago — paying their Twos — drove down the field and kicked a field goal.
“Certainly, you don’t want anybody to score on the first drive, but I think there was an improvement this game, we forced them to kick a field goal, so I don’t see a trend there,” said head coach Pat Shurmur. “Like everything, though, we’re fighting to get better in all areas throughout the game.”
Overall, the defense is still playing well
They are third in the NFL in the preseason in yards per game allowed with 225 per. The Giants look to be better on defense, too. They have a little more talent on the team this year, so that stands to reason. The new safety duo of Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea is working well. Second-year player Sean Chandler is making a case for himself and so is rookie Julian Love. Watch out for rookie linebackers Ryan Connelly and Oshane Ximines. Still, the success will be tied to the pass rush and right now that’s still a work in progress, but there’s hope.
Giants have four quarterbacks and can’t keep them all
Eli Manning has made the team. Shocking. I think they plan on keeping rookie Daniel “Danny Dimes” Jones, too. Both have passed the football a lot better than the undertakers who cover this league have predicted. Eli has yet to throw an incompletion (5-of-5 for 45 yards and a touchdown) and Jones is 16-of-19 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. That leaves the third spot still open for the taking. Alex Tanney has gotten the most work and Kyle Lauletta has been impressive in his limited time. The unit has a combined QB rating of 128.1 this summer. One will have to go. This game may be the determining factor in that decision.
The Bengals have WR problems, too.
The Giants lost Corey Coleman (knee) for the season at the beginning of camp, then saw Shepard suffer a fractured thumb. If that wasn’t bad enough, they learned that free agent Golden Tate will miss the first four games of the regular season after the lost the appeal on his PED suspension.
The Bengals are also going through some wide receiver issues. Perennial Pro Bowler A.J. Green had ankle surgery several weeks ago which will keep him out the first several weeks of the regular season. John Ross, the team’s No.2, is dealing with a hamstring and there is no news on when he will be available. That leaves just Tyler Boyd and a slew of unproven options at wideout.
Players to watch
Wide receiver T.J. Jones leads the Giant in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (104) and will seeking to build on those numbers. Running backs Rod Smith, Paul Perkins and Jon Hilliman will all be looking to catch the eye of the coaches with Wayne Gallman (foot) likely to sit again. This will be the time for rookie linebacker Jake Carlock to remind the coaches he’s still in play for a roster spot. Cornerback Corey Ballentine has to take advantage of this opportunity with Deandre Baker, Sam Beal and Antonio Hamilton unlikely to play in this game.
