The New York Giants (3-7) are traveling to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals (2-7-1) Sunday at 1:00 pm est. The Bengals lost their first overall pick in Joe Burrow for the year to an ACL/MCL tear with other ligament damage. The Giants are heading into this game coming off their bye week and are on a two-game winning streak. What should be an easy win for the Giants, we all know that it’s never an easy win for this team. Here’s five players to keep an eye on Sunday.
CB: James Bradberry
Bradberry continues to have a great season, and he will be up against a skilled WR group. For starters, the Bengals have AJ Green who scored his first TD of the season last week. Green is not anywhere near what he used to be, but he provides some veteran leadership on the offense. Then there is Tyler Boyd who is a player who often gets overlooked. Boyd has 69 catches for 710 yards and 3 TDs. He will probably be the main concern for Bradberry and the other players in the secondary. Rookie Tee Higgins is starting to come on as well, posting 43 catches for 629 yards and 4 TDs. Higgins stands at 6’4, and can be a vertical threat and redzone target. I can’t see Bradberry shadowing just one, and I think he will have matchups with both players throughout the day. With a young QB in Brandon Allen starting Sunday in place of Burrow, look for Bradberry’s experience to kick in and make a play.
S: Xavier McKinney
Well folks, it’s what we have all been waiting for. The debut of the 2020 second round pick. All things are leading for McKinney to be out there, but things can also change. Even if he is out there, you won’t see full workloads from him. It will be great to see him get some reps out there and to get him accustomed to the defense, especially in time to make a potential playoff push in the month of December. He was a play maker in college for Alabama and Giants fans are very excited to see this man finally make his debut, and hopefully it is Sunday.
RB: Wayne Gallman
Gallman has been very consistent for the Giants since carrying to workload with injuries at that position. He has scored a TD in each of his last 4 games. Gallman’s run style has benefitted the Giants, as he has been more of a down-hill runner. He runs more north/south than Barkley’s run style. He picks up with tough yards and get’s the 2-3 yard gains rather than dancing around and getting more rushes for loss. He’s been given a higher role in the offense after Freeman went to IR, and it’s probably the best thing to happen to Gallman. He’s never been given a full opportunity to show what he can do, and now he’s doing just that.
QB: Daniel Jones
We are there folks. Jones has made it to two games in a row without a single turnover. Let’s hope he can continue to do so. The Bengals pass defense has been struggling much of this year, ranking in the bottom of the league in TDs allowed and yards. While Jones has made some nice throws, he’s been more impressive in the run game. He stayed on his feet in his TD run against the Eagles two weeks ago. Jones still has yet to have a game that completely blows you away, hopefully this week will be his chance.
LB: Blake Martinez
Martinez is statistically coming off his worse game as far as tackles go, with logging just 4 total. It’s the lowest he’s had all year. The Eagles did a good job doubling him and getting him out of the play most of the game. Martinez has been a tackling machine all year. The Bengals will be without Joe Mixon as he is still on IR. Giovani Bernard is also questionable for Sunday. With the injuries piling up at RB, the Bengals will be leaning towards the pass more than they would like to with Allen starting. Martinez will have plenty of opportunities to make plays Sunday in both the pass game and run game. Martinez has one interception on the season, and this week may be the week he snags another. I can guarantee he will log more than 4 tackles this week also.
Dylan’s score prediction:
The Giants beat the Bengals 30-13. It will be another clean game from Jones, and he will toss a pair or TDs and Gallman will rush for another. You may even see a defensive TD to be scored on Sunday.
Photo Credit: Giants.com
About Dylan Davis
Dylan Davis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Canton, where he obtained a B.A.A in Sport Management. He is a former athlete of football and baseball and sports fan for much of his life. Dylan creates content for 366 Sports and New York Giants 366, and is also a host on his own show, “The J&D Sports Show”.
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