The New York Giants lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 17-7 on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. Their offense could not move the ball, getting shutout in the first half and only finishing one drive. The defense was spectacular, holding a high-flying Cincinnati offense to the second-fewest points of the season. Why are Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas, and Greg Joseph to blame?
The first half of the game has only one offensive highlight. Joe Burrow scampered for a 47-yard touchdown to open the scoring after the Giants defense forced third down. They did not let the Bengals’ pass game get rolling and gave the offense plenty of opportunities to tie the game.
The Giants got the ball to start the second half and marched right down the field. Tyrone Tracy punched in a touchdown to continue his stellar rookie season and tie the game. That was it for the offense, as the Bengals scored on another running play and ran out the clock at the end of the game. That begins to explain why Daniel Jones is to blame.
The Daniel Jones questions continue in New York
This entire season is about whether or not the Giants should keep Daniel Jones on the massive contract he signed after 2022. They have an out that won’t kill the salary cap and can draft a quarterback in the first round. Jones showed why he can be a franchise guy in two wins over the Browns and Seahawks but faltered in this matchup. Jones has to show some consistency to keep his job as the Giants quarterback.
The Bengals’ defense had been terrible this season. Jacoby Brissett and the Patriots scored 16 points against this group in Week 1. Since then, every team has cracked 20 points including Andy Dalton and the Panthers. The Giants had momentum after putting up 23 points on offense against the Seahawks. They faltered under the primetime lights.
The schedule will not be getting any easier for the Giants. Their next three games are against teams with winning records the Eagles, Steelers, and Commanders. Jones must turn it around against a vulnerable Philadelphia defense.
Andrew Thomas and the Giants’ offensive line go quiet
The Giants have had offensive line issues since the end of Eli Manning’s career. They drafted Evan Neal in the first round and he turned into a bust. They also took Andrew Thomas in the first round and he has become the lynchpin of a great line in 2024. Jermaine Eluemunor has come in to play right tackle and changed their entire outlook. In this game, it was Thomas who took a brutal penalty and looked terrible otherwise.
Jones hit Darius Slayton down the sideline for 56 yards to finally kickstart the offense. The officials threw a flag and called Thomas for illegal man downfield. The Giants’ offense did not do anything else for the entire game. While blame for the loss is primarily on Jones, the penalty was key in the loss.
Trey Hendrickson also dominated Thomas in the trenches all night. The defensive end had two sacks, three quarterback hits, and two tackles for loss. Hendrickson is a solid player but there are better defensive ends in the league that Thomas will have to face. He must figure out his issues before he faces Micah Parsons in a few weeks. He got an MRI on his foot, which might explain the rough game.
Greg Joseph and the kicking woes continue
Giants’ kicker Graham Gano is usually spectacular but was injured in their Week 1 loss to the Vikings. He tried to kick in Week 2 against the Commanders but could not do it and cost his team the game. General manager Joe Schoen went out and grabbed former Viking Greg Joseph to replace Gano. Since his arrival, Joseph has been poor.
He missed two field goals from over 40 yards in this matchup that could have tied the game or decreased the lead in the second half. The Giants could have had the ball down seven in the final minute. Instead, they were down ten and had to try another field goal and set up an onside kick. Joseph missed that one too and ended the game.
The Giants need a new kicker that can hit from over 40 yards. Long field goals are a very important part of the NFL today and not having a kicker who can nail them is a massive detriment.