EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Trayveon Williams capped an impressive 75-yard drive to open the second half with a one-yard touchdown run and Evan McPherson drilled three more field goals, including another from 50 yards.
But the Bengals (0-2) couldn’t hold onto two fourth-quarter leads and fell to the 2-0 Giants, 25-22, Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.
The Bengals moved the ball to the Giants 43 and were in position to try a 61-yarder to tie the game but a false start on Cordell Volson pushed the ball back five yards and a fumble by Trenton Irwin on a pass completion sealed their fate.
Davis Webb’s second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter to Alex Bachman from 15 yards with 35 seconds left powered the Giants to their second preseason win.
The Bengals had taken a 22-18 lead on a Jacques Patrick 3-yard run with 3:05 left, capping a 12-play, 83-yard drive.
Dax Hill had a diving interception in the first quarter and was all over the field defensively, including two tackles on second and third down that led to a fourth down stop by Joseph Ossai.
Cordell Volson played the entire game at left guard. Drue Chrisman handled all punting duties and handled them well, including two inside the 20.
Trayveon Williams for six!
TUNE IN: ? Local 12 ? Bengals App pic.twitter.com/qdJXqzArnC
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 22, 2022
It was a brutal injury night for the Giants. Outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux suffered a knee injury in the first half on a block by Thaddeus Moss, knocking Thibodeaux out of the game. Starting kicker Graham Gano suffered a concussion and was knocked out of the game in the first half. Former University of Cincinnati star linebacker Darrian Beavers also sustained a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return. And return man C.J. Board injured his ribs on a return that was fumbled and did not return.
The Bengals also lost starting right guard/center Lamont Galliard in the third quarter to a right calf injury and did not return.
Trey Hill was the starting center, moving to right guard to start the second quarter as Hill and Galliard swapped. Hill then moved back to center after the Galliard injury.
Desmond Noel entered the game at right guard and Devin Cochran came on to replace D’Ante Smith at right tackle midway through the third quarter.
- Winners:
Cordell Volson: Looked strong all night and provided a good pocket for most of the night for Brandon Allen, Jake Browning and Drew Plitt. This was a big, big step forward for Volson in his battle to win the starting left guard spot entering the season.
Evan McPherson: Three-for-three from 50, 44 and 31 yards in the first half. What else is new. He’s 6-for-7 in the preseason, with his only miss coming from 58 yards in the fourth quarter on a high snap from Cal Adomitis.
Trent Taylor: The Bengals were 0-for-6 on third down in the first half but converted a 4th-and-1 in the first quarter when Taylor made a diving catch on the far sideline for a 15-yard gain. Taylor made another terrific foot-control grab in front of the Bengals sideline in the second quarter. Taylor had two catches on two targets in the first half for 32 of Cincinnati’s 66 total yards in the first half.
Chris Evans: One week after getting robbed of two explosive plays by holding calls, Evans took matters into his own hands after New York grabbed a 7-3 lead. His return of 73 yards started on the left side and he kicked it out to the right sideline, breaking one tackle at midfield to get all the way to the Giants 24, setting up the Bengals in great shape. But alas, the Bengals deep plus-territory offense failed them and they went three-and-out and settled for the second of McPherson’s field goals.
.@Kidnplay_abc123 ?♂️??
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— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 21, 2022
Drue Chrisman: The second-year punter out of Ohio State had three punts for a average of 48.3 yards and landed two inside the 20. His third punt of 51 yards was fielded at the Giants 9 and returned to the Giants 20.
- Losers:
D’Ante Smith: Seeing his first game action of the preseason since a back injury limited him in camp, Smith was called for three holds in the first quarter, one of which was declined. Usually an indication of not moving his feet, Smith can be excused somewhat for not being up to speed. But still, not a good look for him.
Brandon Allen in red zone: As good as Allen was on the opening drive of the second half, his offense was not good in the first 30 minutes. The Bengals were 0-for-6 on third downs, gaining just 66 net yards in the first half. He had back-to-back drives deep in Giants territory where he was 1-for-5 for minus-2 yards. The Bengals on drives that started at the New York 24 and 15, respectively, generated just two field goals.
