The New York Giants survived a week 12 scare to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 19-17.
It was an ugly win for New York as after the first drive, they could not get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. Nevertheless, Big Blue was able to get a key victory, their third in a row, placing them at 4-7 and first in the NFC East.
Here’s how this win affected the stock of various aspects in the Giants organization.
Stock up
Offensive Line
While the competition was inferior, the offensive line looked at its best in week 12.
This is amazing to see for the Giants as they had recently fired their offensive line coach Marc Colombo drawing many concerns to how the offensive line would fair. These worries were quickly squashed as the hog-mollies up front played their best game of the season in Cincinnati. The offensive line allowed only three pressures and two QB hits all game. The line also did not allow a sack in the match for the first time this year. In terms of the run game, the line was also stout as they helped Giants rushers rush for a total of 142 yards.
Logan Ryan, S
Logan Ryan proved why he was a top of safety pro bowl votes in the NFC on Sunday.
Ryan was a monster all over the field in the game. He recorded 6 tackles, two-run stops, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. The safety also defended a pass showing his elite coverage skills. The Rutgers product’s stellar performance, earning a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 91.6, built on the very impressive campaign he has had in his debut season at safety.
Jabrill Peppers, S
It is clear that safety is easily the best position for New York as they possess two that have been consistently playing at an elite level.
In week 12 specifically, Jabrill Peppers recorded six tackles, four-run stops, one tackle for loss, one QB pressure, and two passes defended. Similar to Logan Ryan, Peppers played as a swiss army knife, making plays all over the field. This play earned him a PFF grade of 89.6, ranking third-best on the team.
Leonard Williams, DT
Williams continues to improve why he should get paid this offseason as he notched his sixth sack of the season against the Bengals. This mark is already 12 times more than his total last year. Williams also recorded his eighth tackle for loss, four times the amount he had last year, and his first fumble recovery of his career. He also forced five QB pressures on the day, proving himself as the Giants’ most consistent pass rusher.
Jabaal Sheard, DE
Another Giants pass rusher who stood out in Cincinnati was Jabaal Sheard. In just his fourth game (and first start) with Big Blue, Sheard became a hero. The veteran made a game-saving strip-sack with just seconds remaining in the contest as the Bengals were driving to score a game-winning field goal. Overall, Sheard played a phenomenal game as he also recorded two other tackles and three-run stops earning a PFF grade of 90.7.
Niko Lalos, DE
Niko Lalos was another unlikely hero who made an amazing play for the Giants.Â
Lalos recently elevated from the practice squad, made a highlight-worthy diving interception late in the third quarter to set up a Giants field goal. Lalos also chalked up one quarterback pressure in his NFL debut.
Stock Down
Cameron Fleming, OT
While the offensive line as a whole played a solid game, Cameron Fleming made a few costly plays that had many Giants fans yelling at their TV screens.
Fleming committed three total penalties, including one holding penalty, which brought back a game-winning first down catch and run by Wayne Gallman. This penalty allowed the Bengals to get the ball back with under two minutes with a chance to win.
Overall, Fleming’s blocking was adequate on the day, but he did allow one of the Giants’ three pressures.
Colt McCoy, QB
Colt McCoy entered the game in the third quarter to spell the injured Daniel Jones. As a relief quarterback, McCoy did not have the strongest showing as he completed just six passes for 31 yards earning him a QBR of just 23.1. McCoy was also the Giants’ second worse graded offensive player by PFF (43.4), showing that he was just not ready to play with his new team. This will have to change for the veteran as he will likely receive some action again next week as Daniel Jones is expected to miss some time with a hamstring injury.
Kickoff and Punt Coverage
This was the only department that would have kept the Giants from getting their fourth win of the season. The kickoff coverage opened the game allowing a 103-yard return, which kept the Bengals tied with New York. Then in the final minutes, Alex Erickson almost broke a game-winning punt return touchdown but was tackled after 29 yards by Cam Brown. After these two returns and a total of 208 yards on seven returns, it is clear that this will be an area of emphasis for Joe Judge as he was a former special teams coach. The Giants can not be losing games due to poor special teams play, and this should be fixed quickly by Judge and his staff.