The New York Giants are off to their best start since 2000,
thanks in large part to a little tiptoeing in overtime by Amani Toomer and the
sure leg of 44-year-old John Carney.
Carney kicked a 22-yard field goal with 8:39 left in the extra session after
Toomer danced the sideline on a 31-yard reception, and the Super Bowl champions
overcame a strong effort by the winless Cincinnati Bengals for a 26-23 victory
on Sunday.
“My message today was … it ended up being really the power of the will,” coach
Tom Coughlin said. “It wasn’t our best game, by any means, but we hung in there,
we kept battling and scrapping, and in what was not our best game, we found a
way to win against a good football team.”
The play that set up Carney’s fourth field goal was the long pass from Eli
Manning to Toomer down the left sideline on a third-and-10 from the Bengals
38...more
Scoring Summary
CIN - NYG
1st Quarter
0:38
CIN
FG
Shayne Graham kicked a 22-yard field
goal
3 - 0
2nd Quarter
10:36
NYG
TD
Brandon Jacobs rushed to the left
for 1 yard gain (John Carney made PAT)
3 - 7
7:20
CIN
TD
Chris Perry rushed to the right for
25 yard gain (Shayne Graham made PAT)
10 - 7
3:55
NYG
FG
John Carney kicked a 24-yard field
goal
10 - 10
0:32
CIN
FG
Shayne Graham kicked a 30-yard field
goal
13 - 10
3rd Quarter
6:23
NYG
FG
John Carney kicked a 46-yard field
goal
13 - 13
4th Quarter
11:32
NYG
FG
John Carney kicked a 26-yard field
goal
13 - 16
4:39
CIN
TD
Carson Palmer passed to T.J.
Houshmandzadeh down the middle for 17 yard gain
(Shayne Graham made PAT)
20 - 16
1:50
NYG
TD
Eli Manning passed to Kevin Boss
down the middle for 4 yard gain (John Carney made
PAT)
20 - 23
0:00
CIN
FG
Shayne Graham kicked a 21-yard field
goal
23 - 23
OT
8:39
NYG
FG
John Carney kicked a 22-yard field
goal
23 - 26
Team Statistics
CIN
NYG
First Downs
24
24
Passing
16
12
Rushing
7
8
Penalty
1
4
Third Down
Efficiency
10-17
5-12
Fourth Down
Efficiency
0-0
0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS
347
406
Total Plays
72
68
Average Gain Per
Play
4.8
6.0
NET YARDS
RUSHING
102
117
Rushes
27
25
Average Per Rush
3.8
4.7
NET YARDS
PASSING
245
289
Completions-Attempts
27-39
26-43
Yards Per Pass
Play
5.4
6.7
Times Sacked
6
0
Yards Lost to
Sacks
41
0
Had Intercepted
0
0
PUNTS
5
4
Average Punt
46.6
43.8
PENALTIES
8
6
Penalty Yards
57
40
FUMBLES
2
0
Fumbles Lost
0
0
TIME OF
POSSESSION
33:15
33:06
Pregame Previews, Storylines,
and News
New Page 1
Preview:
The New York Giants
looked determined to
avoid last year's
horrible two-game start
in their first two
contests of 2008. Now
they'll try to stay
focused - and unbeaten -
with the Cincinnati
Bengals coming to town.
A week after dominating
woeful St. Louis, the
Giants (2-0) try to keep
rolling against another
struggling opponent
Sunday when they take on
the Bengals (0-2) at the
Meadowlands...more
Inside the Game Plans:
Notable:
BENGALS:
The Bengals have not played with a lead this season. At best, they were
tied at 7 against the Titans. Getting a lead at Giants Stadium would
help. If the Giants get ahead, they will use their three-pronged running
attack and run at and around the Bengals and put pressure on the
Cincinnati offense to pass almost exclusively against one of the NFL's
best pass rushes. The Bengals offense needs to do what the Giants like
to do -- get a possession edge with some long, time-consuming drives,
shortening the game for the defense to rest...
FULL STORY
GIANTS:
Offensively, RB Brandon Jacobs and FB Madison Hedgecock should have
their way with Cincy's soft defense. Hedgecock will try to soften the
middle. Cincy LB Dhani Jones, a former Giant, will try to stop them.
Jones has had chances with the Giants and Eagles and should not be able
to provide much in the way of opposition to the 260-pound Jacobs and his
266-pound accomplice, Hedgecock.
Defensively, Giants CBs Aaron Ross and Corey Webster
will have their hands full with Bengals WRs Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J.
Houshmandzadeh. The Cincinnati style is to send the wideouts out deep
and down the sidelines. This will call upon the shutdown cover skills of
both CBs, who have displayed that ability in the past. Both WRs are
exceptional athletes and warrant great attention...FULL
STORY
The Bengals were
defeated, 24-7, by the Titans in their 2008 home opener last Sunday and
have scored just 17 points in the first two games of 2008. Cincinnati
averaged 23.8 points per game last season, but has tallied just one
offensive touchdown thus far in 2008
New York has won 20 straight
regular-season games when holding an opponent under 20 points. The
Giants have allowed just 20 points combined in their first two games of
2008
Carson Palmer is still without a
touchdown pass and has posted the two worst QB rating games of his
career in the first two contests of 2008
What to expect against the Giants
Cincy Jungle, OH
... ends are playing well and
the Giants are deep and talented at linebacker.
I think I've seen maybe one missed tackle in two
games. If I was the Bengals I ...