Giants defense, run game make strong statements in holding off Bengals

Eli Manning threw three touchdowns, and Odell Beckham Jr. was doing OBJ-type things again on Monday, but it’s time to give the New York Giants’ defense a little credit. It wasn’t a perfect performance in any fashion, but Steve Spagnuolo’s improved unit was a big reason why the Giants hung on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 21-10, on Monday night and move to 6-3.

If the Giants want to keep pace with the surging Dallas Cowboys, winners of eight straight, they must play more like they did in this game on that side of the ball. The Giants spent a massive amount of money to upgrade one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL last season, and we’re starting to see the results pay off.

The Giants forced the Bengals into third-and-long situations all game. Not counting their own penalties, the Bengals faced eight third downs with at least 9 yards to go and four of them were 3rd and 15 or longer. The Bengals’ first third-down conversion of the game came with 13:50 left in the fourth quarter.

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Manning also threw two picks in the game, but an improved run game led by Rashad Jennings was a big lift when the Giants needed it most. That and a defense that held Andy Dalton, a beat-up A.J. Green and Co. to 264 yards of offense, most of which came in the first half.

Giants defensive ends Olivier Vernon, who made 10 tackles with a broken hand, and Jason Pierre-Paul lived in the Bengals’ backfield. Cincinnati fell to 3-5-1, and even in the crummy AFC North the Bengals have their work cut out for them. A few big missed chances killed them in this game — one by their own passivity and one on a controversial call.

On the opening drive for the Giants, they gashed the Bengals’ defense with ease. Manning was perfect on the eight-play, 80-yard march in 3:55, hitting Jerrell Adams for an easy 7-0 lead. The Bengals answered even quicker, in just over two minutes. Dalton hit tight end Tyler Eifert on a 72-yard catch — the third longest catch by a tight end this season — out of a wacky “Star Wars” formation. They then tied the score with a 13-yard strike to A.J. Green.

It was a fun first half. Beckham made an insane move on the Bengals’ Adam Jones, making him look silly for a touchdown that gave the Giants a 14-10 lead. Surprisingly, the Bengals hesitated to try to score in the waning seconds of the half, missing an opportunity for points they’d wish they had later.

The Bengals opened second half with a bang, as rookie returner Alex Erickson brought back the opening kickoff 84 yards to the New York 13. Two plays later, Jeremy Hill scored on a creative fake end-around handoff and walked in for the score. The Bengals led 17-14, and after a quick Giants three-and-out the Bengals tacked on a field goal and made it 20-14, usurping the momentum the Giants had grabbed at the end of the first half.

But it could have been more. The Bengals only settled for the field goal because referees ruled that rookie receiver Tyler Boyd did not haul in what appeared to be a 20-yard score. Boyd bobbled the third-down after a big hit by nickelback Trevin Wade, and it was called incomplete, forcing the Bengals to settle for the Mike Nugent field goal.

After the Giants pinned the Bengals deep in their own zone, they couldn’t move the ball out and had to punt out of their own end zone. The Giants took over at midfield and drove to the Cincinnati 9, thanks to a 24-yard run — that’s newsworthy for this team — by Rashad Jennings. After stalling, the Giants went for it on 4th and goal and Sterling Shepard beat Vontaze Burfict inside for a 3-yard score and a 21-20 Giants lead early in the fourth quarter.

Then the worst in Dalton and Eli Manning came out. Dalton drove the Bengals into Giants territory but way overshot Tyler Kroft amid three defenders. Landon Collins snagged his fourth interception in his past three games in what quickly is coming together as a Pro Bowl-type season for him.

But on the next play, Manning gave it right back — an inexplicable pick 45 yards downfield to Tavarres King. Yes, it was “Force the ball to obscure receivers vs. triple coverage” night at the old ballpark.

After a pair of three-and-outs, the Bengals had a shot to drive the length of the field with six minutes left. After a Dalton scramble for 15 yards on first down, he was sacked twice and knocked back 14 yards. The Giants entered the game dead last in the NFL in sack percentage and offensive rushing yards, but they improved in both areas in this game. The Bengals punted, and Jennings helped seal the victory.

Yes, folks, that’s right — the Giants are now 6-3 (with a great shot at 8-3) and it was the defense and the run game that helped deliver it. What a stunning development.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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