WHAT HAPPENED

The Bengals wasted no time punching the Giants right in the mouth by jumping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead. The Giants showed signs of life towards the end of the first half and were able to trim the lead to 17-6 at the half, however they could not get anything going in the 3rd quarter and two crucial turnovers by Ahmad Bradshaw (fumble) and Eli Manning (interception) were cashed in for 14 points from the Bengals. That pretty much was the ballgame as the Bengals took a commanding 31-6 lead heading into the 4th quarter. A late 2-yard touchdown run by Andre Brown gave the Giants at least something to feel good about on offense, however this game was already over.

Eli Manning has now gone three straight games without a touchdown pass. He came close to getting one in the second half, however Victor Cruz dropped a beautifully thrown pass to him in the end zone. It pretty much was symbolic of how things went for the Giants on offense today. Cruz was a non factor in this game with 3 catches for 26 yards.

Andy Dalton was electric in the first quarter for the Bengals at quarterback, and threw a career high 4 touchdowns in the game. Big play wide receiver AJ Green backed up his observations of the Giants defense by finding the holes in the secondary. Green finished with 7 catches for 85 yards, 56 of those yards came on a touchdown pass from Dalton in the opening drive of the game that got the Bengals off and running.

Manning was sacked 4 times today and Ahmad Bradshaw again could not deliver a solid running game for the Giants. Throw in a few dropped passes and the Giants just looked like they were just going through the motions out there and the result was the final score.

OUTLOOK

The Giants lost to a team that came into today losers of 4 straight games and clearly on the verge of being knocked out of the playoff picture. This lost hurts just as much the one last week to the Steelers and the case can be made that it hurts even more. Head coach Tom Coughlin already went out and called his defense “Soft” and they went out today and did nothing to challenge that assessment. This team needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out what is it going to take to fix what’s gone wrong over the last month. They had a golden opportunity the last two weeks to put a choke hold on the NFC east division and failed to do so. They’ve went from a team being talked about as the best in the league to fighting off the growing thought across the league that they are on the verge of another November where they struggle.

WHAT’S NEXT

If there is team that should be happy to see the bye week, it’s the Giants. They look tired and mentally may just need the time off to recharge. They’ll have to figure things out now because when they return in two weeks, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will be waiting for them.

The Bengals went right to the air on the Giants in their  opening drive as quarterback Andy Dalton connected with big play receiver AJ Green for a 56-yard touchdown pass to give them an early 7-0 lead. Green made it known to anyone listening during the week that he noticed holes in the Giants defense and he wasted no time in finding one in their secondary as he burned them for that touchdown. Dalton came right back after a Giants 3 and out on their opening drive and hit Andrew Hawkins on an 11-yard pass for a td touchdown to make it 14-0. The Giants came up with a turnover on special teams when Will Hill recovered a Brandon Tate fumble on a punt return, however the they couldn’t turn it into a touchdown and had to settle for 3 points from Lawrence Tynes. A 28-yard field goal from Mike Nugent tacked on 3 more points for the Bengals and made it 17-3. The Giants finally showed some life on offense late in the 2nd quarter as Eli Manning was able to drive the offense down the field, however the Giants again could not turn it into a touchdown as Tynes tacked on 3 points with a 31-yard field goal to make the score 17-6 at the half.

With everything that’s gone wrong for the Giants in the first half they managed to stay within striking distance.

Wide receiver Domenik Hixon went dowin in the first quarter with an ankle injury, x-rays were negative however his return looks to be questionable.

The running game continues to be a problem area for the Giants with 6 carries for 16 yards combined for Ahmad Bradshaw, David Wilson, and … Eli Manning.

Hakeem Nicks has been busy in the first half with 7 receptions for 63 yards, however Victor Cruz was held to just 1 catch.

Bengals: Andy Dalton threw for 161 yards and 2 td’s on 15 of 30 , AJ Green  had 6 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Going into the half with points on that last drive for the Giants was important because it was the only drive that showed any positive consistency for Manning and the passing game. They will hope that continues into the second half as they’ll have the ball to start.

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.

INACTIVE

Keith Rivers, Adrien Robinson, Kenny Phillips, Jacquian Williams, Jerrel Jernigan, Marvin Austin, Adewale Ojomo

Rivers was hoping to be ready for today’s game against his former team, however he is still being hindered by a calf injury.

NOTABLES

Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), Hakeem Nicks (knee) , and Chris Snee (ankle) are all listed as active and expected to play today. The Giants passing attack can really use a productive Nicks who hasn’t looked fully recovered from his injury problems from earlier in the season.

Chase Blackburn (hamstring) is listed as Probable for today and the Giants missed his presence on defense at the linebacker position last week against the Steelers. Keep an eye on Andre Brown (shoulder) and Chris Canty (groin) who are also both listed Probable.

“It’s exciting,” said Locklear, who will attend the opening of the Giants’ offseason conditioning program on Monday. “I was on the other end of two games against the Giants last year – followed them pretty well in their run to the Super Bowl. But, actually, when I got the call I was kind of excited about the chance to actually play in New York and who doesn’t want to play with the team who just got done winning the Super Bowl? My thing is to just get in here and start fresh, start learning again and try to help this team get back to where they want to go.”

Locklear was originally a 3rd round draft pick from North Carolina State, and prefers to play right tackle.  He will have the chance to compete and win that job in camp, and he certainly adds depth at a much needed position.

Welcome to the Super Bowl Champion New York Football Giants Sean….We are glad to have you.

“The Cincinnati Bengals have traded linebacker Keith Rivers to the New York Giants in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft, according to NFL Network.”

Rivers was the ninth overall pick in the 2008 draft, but injuries have kept him from fulfilling his potential. He missed 13 games during his first three seasons, and missed all of last season because of a wrist injury. The Bengals deemed Rivers expendable after re-signing Manny Lawson earlier this month.

Rivers plays outside linebacker, and the Giants hope he will add depth and flexibility to their linebacker corps. Adding Rivers may allow the Giants to move Michael Boley from outside linebacker to the middle.  Either way it adds veteran depth with great potential to the defense at the cost of a low round draft pick.  The Giants have two 4th round picks this year, so trading the 5th rounder really has no effect on their draft plans.

Welcome to the Super Bowl Champion New York Football Giants Keith.  We looK forward to watching you grow.

Last week we looked at the AFC East

Baltimore Raves: My pre-draft ranking of the Baltimore Ravens franchise is NEUTRAL. As sad as it is, the Ravens have become very old on defense. Although they were only a Field Goal away from the Super Bowl, they are going to be a year older and a step slower. The defense is the strength of this team, but they need to target a way to get younger. The Ravens will have the 29th overall pick. Rumors coming out of the greater Baltimore area indicate that the Ravens are targeted a WR and/or LB. However, they will need to deep into free agency to help fill some of their voids. They do have the cap room to make these moves. One also has to wonder if the Ravens will look to switch kickers simply to appease some of the veterans on the team. Given their age and lack of offensive explosiveness, I believe the Raven are stuck in mud and thus a pre-draft ranking of Neutral. They are one or two good signings from being positive and they are one torn ACL for Ray Rice/Ed Reed from a ranking of negative. The draft is often not essential for teams coming off such a successful season; however, for the Ravens their season begins on draft night.

Pittsburgh Steelers:  My pre-draft ranking of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise is a Downward Trend. Some people might be

January 8, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) during the first quarter of the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

surprised by what I think of the Steelers, but they have tons of issues. They just released Ward, Harrison is always wanting to retire, and Troy Polamalu is not getting any younger. Big Ben has yet to talk to the new offensive coordinator and the Steelers may not be able to retain their best wide-out (Wallace). As I type this the Steelers are also over the cap thus having no room to make any positive changes to their team. Mock drafts have the Steelers looking for DL help or going an offensive lineman. Because of the new draft rules, those two positions should not cost the Steelers too much money. They should have enough to sign their draft picks but not much more than that. Mark this date down (March 7, 2012), the Steelers could be staring a sub .500 season straight in the face.

Cleveland Browns: My pre-draft ranking of the Cleveland Browns is NEUTRAL. The Browns are very hard to predict right now. Rumors are widespread that the Browns are going hard after the Rams 2nd overall pick. If they secure this pick, it is assumed that they would draft RG III. IF, and I mean If, this happens the Browns would take a huge leap forward. Pairing Brown and Hillis together would give Browns fans something to cheer about. Even if they do not make the trade, they still have the fourth and 22nd picks in the first round of the draft. Beyond that, the Browns also have much flexibility with their cap space and could be looking to make a huge splash in free agency too. If they draft RG III look for them to go hard after a WR and then safety help in the later rounds. With the right moves the Browns could go 11-5 or with the wrong moves could go 5-11 this upcoming season. They are a very interesting team to say the least!

Jan 1, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis (40) during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Steelers won 13-9. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

Cincinnati Bengals: My pre-draft ranking of the Cincinnati Bengals is an Upward Trend. The Bengals have a young dependable QB and a very young and talented WR corps. How can you go wrong with that? They also have a good amount of draft room and are drafting  in the number 21 position. They have flexibility with their pick. They can go for LB help or continue to build their offensive line. A recent mock draft had them going RB, LB, CB in the first three rounds of the draft. They have solid young talent all around the roster and may be looking one or two moderately priced veterans to help secure the foundation of the team. No matter how you look at it this team is on the rise.

Pre-Draft Prediction for AFC Central final year standings: 1) Bengals 2.)Ravens 3.) Browns 4.) Steelers

As always follow me on twitter @tom_brant

]]> http://gmenhq.com/2012/03/07/focus-on-afc-central/feed/ 0 http://gmenhq.com/2012/01/05/game-day-essentials-afc-wild-card-bengals-at-texans/ http://gmenhq.com/2012/01/05/game-day-essentials-afc-wild-card-bengals-at-texans/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:25 +0000 Tom Brant http://gmenhq.com/?p=12751 Game Time: 4:33pm EST Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas TV: NBC Sports: WNBC 4 (NY,NJ, CT) and WVIT-30 (CT, MA) Announcers:  Dan Hicks and Mike Mayock Game Time Weather: Opening Kick Off: 69* winds 10 mph SE Half-Time: 68* winds10-15 mph SE Two Minute Warning: 67*winds 3-7 mph SSE Current Line: Texans -4.5 with the [...]

Game Day Essentials: AFC Wild Card, Bengals at Texans - GMEN HQ - GMEN HQ - A NY Giants Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Game Time: 4:33pm EST

Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

TV: NBC Sports: WNBC 4 (NY,NJ, CT) and WVIT-30 (CT, MA)

Announcers:  Dan Hicks and Mike Mayock

Game Time Weather:

Opening Kick Off: 69* winds 10 mph SE

Half-Time: 68* winds10-15 mph SE

Two Minute Warning: 67*winds 3-7 mph SSE

Current Line: Texans -4.5 with the over/under at 44.0

All-Time Series: Tied 3-3

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