Giants vs Bengals: Keys To The Game For The G-Men

The Giants take on the Cincinnati Bengals today in what has become a very big road game as byw week quickly approaches. The importance of this game pretty much went through the roof for the Giants because of last week’s sluggish performance in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The G-Men now head into this week’s action as a team in a mid-season slump, quite the contrast from the hot start they got off to.

Here are some key points to look at for today’s game against the Bengals:

ELI MANNING AND THE PASSING ATTACK

It’s offical, Eli Manning is in a slump. The last 3 weeks have not been kind to Manning and the numbers clearly indicate that. The Giants are going to need to tinker with their passing game because opposing teams are finally beginning to take away Manning’s favorite target, Victor Cruz. Hakeem Nicks has not been 100 percent healthy this season and that has also clearly effected how the Giants gameplan with their wide receivers. Rueben Randle has not played up to expectations as of yet and it might be a good time for the Giants to get Ramses Barden more involved. Adjustments will be key.

STOPPING THE RUN

Opposing games are running the ball on the Giants and doing it well this season. What makes it all the more alarming is that the running backs who are causing the damage are not exactly household names. Albret Brooks? Isaac Redman? Head coach Tom Coughlin went as far as to call his defense soft right now and it would be hard to argue against that.  The Bengals have not been known for their running attack this season and the Giants must make sure that stays the same this week.

OUTLOOK

This game is big for the Giants. They are heading into a bye week with the Green Bay Packers standing on the other side waiting for them when they return. The Bengals are also looking to right their ship before it’s too late. They come into this week struggling and on the ropes, a loss today could take them out of the playoff picture. The NFC east division currently is being handed to them with the Cowboys and Eagles both struggling to stay afloat. A win today gives the Giants more breathing room and puts them in prime position to secure the division title.