Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) vs. New York Giants (1-0)
The defending AFC champions look to try to rebound in their second preseason game when they take on the New York Giants on Sunday evening. Cincinnati lost their opening game, losing 36-23 to the Arizona Cardinals. The Bengals are coming off a 10-7 season that saw them make an improbable run to the Super Bowl. New York defeated the New England Patriots last week, 23-21. They are looking to rebound after an abysmal 4-13 campaign.
New York comes in as the favorite with the spread set at 5.5. The total is set at 38.0. These teams have met four times in the regular season since 2008 with the Giants winning three of the four meetings, including a 19-17 victory in November 2020.
The Cincinnati Bengals rallied for 14 points in the fourth quarter, but a 27-point deficit was too much to overcome as they fell to the Arizona Cardinals, 36-23. Jake Browning started at the quarterback position and completed 13 of 24 passes for 190 yards. Drew Pitt came on and completed all six pass attempts, including throwing a touchdown.
“I had my 'Welcome to the League' moment.”
?? Listen in to @_Zachattacks first game experience as a Bengal! pic.twitter.com/WILGoAHLGA
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 19, 2022
While it was a disappointing loss for the Bengals, one thing the team has to be happy about was the performance of their wide receivers. Kendric Pryor and Trent Taylor each had four catches with Pryor earning 89 yards receiving and a touchdown while Taylor had 74 yards receiving. The group made 22 catches overall in 30 targets, a solid 73.3% success rate in completions.
If there is any concern, it is about this defense, which gave up 310 total yards and 36 points. Arizona went 5-6 in the red zone and dominated this contest despite only having the ball for 27:47. The team was able to get some pressure, recording three sacks, but the Cardinals went 6-11 on third down as the defense did not do enough to get off the field. 11 penalties did not help these Bengals either, leading to three first downs for the Cardinals.