New York Giants: Five Players Who Stepped Up Against The Bengals

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz watches players warm up before an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Giants’ 21-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals was barely over on Monday night when Odell Beckham, Jr. went on ESPN and made it clear the Giants, at 6-3 and riding a wave of four straight victories, have already started dreaming big.

Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns, finding Jerrell Adams and Odell Beckham in the first half before producing a crucial three-yarder to Sterling Shepard in the fourth quarter when the Bengals were 20-14 ahead.

As for the actual fourth down play, the Giants took exactly what the Bengals gave them, and made use of it. Despite being slight underdogs, the Giants were able to keep pace in the NFC East with a win against the Bengals.

What helps the Giants is their upcoming schedule. They will close out their three-game home stand next week against the Chicago Bears.

As the temperatures turned colder and the winds of the northeast started to pick up, the New York Giants’ running backs, who went five consecutive games without passing the 80-yard rushing mark as a group, told themselves to remain patient and that eventually, things would click. But this is hard to take, the way we are playing. “We always talk about when we get down there we have to score”. They returned for the kickoff of their final eight regular season games expecting a surge, but left perplexed. Green to a pedestrian 68 yards on seven catches; Harrison anchoring a run defense that allowed only 78 yards; Vernon muscling his way past the Bengals’ line and meeting Pierre-Paul and Friends at the quarterback. Which just goes to show how in football, one play or call can make a big difference. We are not finishing these games. The 24-year-old All Pro had twice as many catches as anyone else on the team as the Giants won, 21-20. The Bengals kept the Giants from expanding their lead.

In the end the Bengals offense had their chances to win this game. Eli Manning looks poised and ready to make another Super Bowl push to prove to all the haters out there that he is in fact not just an “average” quarterback. NY ran five consecutive times for 38 yards and two first downs, draining the clock.

“This may not be the place we are used to being in, but we sure are here now”, Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap said. “That hurt us. They can drop back and sit in zones and take away things down the field”.

The interception was Kirkpatrick’s second of the season after he didn’t have one in 2015.

Shepard cut across the field from right to left and scored easily. If Tyler Boyd’s nearly touchdown was ruled a touchdown, the Bengals likely would have won. “If we didn’t practice well down there, we would’ve kicked the field goal”.

This was Jennings’ first time cracking 100 yards from scrimmage this season, with his previous best being 78 yards in Week 1.