The Bengals look to get back into the win column this week as they head to the Big Apple to take on the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.
The Giants return home after defeating the Seahawks in Seattle 29-20, despite missing rookie receiver Malik Nabers and starting running back Devin Singletary.
Giants Offense
The New York offensive attack is led by Nabers. The rookie from LSU missed Week 4 with a concussion, but he still leads the NFL with 35 receptions and is tied for seventh with 386 yards. An explosive threat, he also ranks tied for second leaguewide with seven receptions of at least 20 yards downfield, and his 11 targets of at least 20 yards are tied for the NFL lead, per PFF.
While Nabers takes the top off the defense, receiver Wan'Dale Robinson has eaten up targets through the first five weeks. The former Kentucky receiver is tied for third in the NFL with 32 receptions while averaging just 4.5 air yards per target, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Quarterback Daniel Jones is coming off a big performance against Seattle even without his rookie WR1. Jones completed 23-of-34 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns for a season-high 109.6 passer rating. It was his third game of 2024 with at least two touchdown passes and zero turnovers, and his third game with a rating over 100. He also became the first Giants quarterback to rush for over 2,000 yards in his career, adding 38 yards on the ground.
As an offense, the Giants accumulated 420 yards of offense against the Seahawks, their most in a game since Sept. 17, 2023 against the Arizona Cardinals. The bulk of those yards came on the back of rookie running back Tyrone Tracy. Starting in place of Singletary, Tracy rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries, becoming the first Giants rookie to rush for 100 yards since Saquon Barkley in 2018.
Giants Defense
New York's defensive line is potentially the story of the season for the Giants so far. Led by stalwarts Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, the defense has amassed 22 sacks this year, pacing the NFL in that category and ranking second in Giants history for the most sacks through five games. The Giants got to Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith seven times in last week's victory and knocked down Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson eight times the week prior. Per PFF, the Giants have converted 36.4% of QB pressures into sacks, the highest rate in the NFL.
Lawrence ranks tied for second in the NFL with six sacks, just a half-sack shy of Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson. The sixth-year veteran is also tied with Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett for the fifth-most pressures in the NFL at 23, per PFF. Burns and Thibodeaux are both in the top 30 at 17 and 16 pressures, respectively. The trio has combined for 10 of the team's 22 sacks this year, while safety Jason Pinnock ranks second among all defensive backs with three sacks of his own, trailing only the Saints' Alontae Taylor.
The Giants rank 23rd in PFF run-defense grade with a 57.5 figure. They've allowed at least 100 yards on the ground in three of five games this season, including 215 to the Washington Commanders in Week 2. New York gives up 5.2 yards per carry on average. Seattle ran the ball just 11 times last Sunday, but it averaged 9.2 yards per carry.
The White Bengal Game
Don't Miss the rare White Bengal, Oct. 27, against the Philadelphia Eagles
Check out the Bengals 2024 Schedule.
