The New York Giants are 3-0 in the preseason after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, 25-23, on Thursday night. Let’s get right to the ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’ to see who deserved praise, and who didn’t.
Kudos to ...
Daniel Jones — Nine-of-11, 141 yards, a big throw to Darius Slayton one play after taking a big hit. The sixth overall pick continues to impress. And making it harder to imagine that he won’t play at all in 2019.
Eli Manning — Went 4-of-8 for 41 yards while leading the Giants on a 14-play drive that culminated in a field goal. It should have resulted in a touchdown as Cody Latimer dropped what would have been an 18-yard touchdown throw. In all the hysteria over Jones’ play, Manning quietly played well for the second straight week.
Oshane Ximines — A pair of sacks and four tackles in all. Ximines also set the edge nicely on a couple of running plays. Just what the Giants want from ‘X-Man.’
Corey Ballentine — The rookie corner just continues to impress. He had a pass defensed early in the game, then broke up a fourth-down pass in the third quarter. It’s been a while since the Giants hit big on a late-round pick. Might Ballentine change that?
Garrett Dickerson — Two catches for 30 yards and a couple of noticeable blocks for the tight end who is fighting for a roster spot.
Alonzo Russell — Another outstanding hustle play from Russell, leading the way as a one-man convoy on Brittan Golden’s 68-yard punt return touchdown. He also showed the value of a being a strong 6-foot-4 wide receiver by catching a two-point conversion attempt from Kyle Lauletta.
Wet Willies to ...
Cody Latimer — A pair of drops on the Giants’ first offensive series, including one that would have been an 18-yard touchdown. Not good.
Will Hernandez — Three penalties in the first 12 minutes of the game. Gotta do better than that. Hernandez had a rough night against a good Cincy defensive line, struggling with penalties and having a difficult time generating movement on run plays.
Ronald Zamort, Terrell Sinkfield, Henre’ Toliver — All of these backup corners showed why they won’t be on the 53-man roster. Zamort and Sinkfield looked particularly overmatched.
Nathan Stupar — Four missed tackles. Zero actual tackles. That’s professional-caliber linebacker play? You’re kidding me, right?
Alex Tanney — The veteran quarterback went just 2-of-6 and missed a couple of opportunities for big plays by overthrowing open receivers.
Kwillie to ...
Brittan Golden — Everything was going so well for Golden. He had a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown. Two catches for 59 yards. He’d been impressive in back-to-back preseason games as he makes an underdog bid for a roster spot. Then, he went and fumbled away a punt. Do we call that letting a “golden” opportunity slip through his fingers?