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Offense Stalls Without Burrow, Giants Beat Bengals 19-17

The Bengals fall to 2-8-1 on the season

James Rapien

CINCINNATI — The shorthanded Bengals kept it close for most of the game on Sunday, but the Giants did just enough to pick up the 19-17 win. 

The two teams were tied at halftime, but the Bengals' offense couldn't get anything going for most of the second half. 

Starting quarterback Brandon Allen got off to a good start. He completed 7-of-10 passes for 53 yards in the first half. The offense wasn't as explosive as it is with Joe Burrow, but they held their own. 

The final 30 minutes of the game were much worse. The Bengals turned the ball over three times, including twice in the fourth quarter. 

Allen completed 17-of-29 passes for 136 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

He did put together a seven-play, 72-yard touchdown drive in the closing minutes of the game. It was aided by multiple penalties, including a pass interference in the end zone. Allen found Tee Higgins for a one-yard touchdown made it 19-17.

The Bengals' defense got the stop they needed in the final minute to give the offense one more chance. Alex Erickson had a nice punt return and suddenly the home team had the momentum.

Their comeback hopes ended on the very next play. Allen was sacked and fumbled on the Bengals' first offensive play and Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams recovered. That clinched the game for New York. 

Cincinnati finished with 168 total yards. They went 3-of-10 on third-down. 

The Bengals turned the ball over three times in the second half. 

Tight end Drew Sample fumbled at the Bengals' 20-yard line late in the fourth quarter.  

Graham Gano kicked his fourth field goal of the game on the following drive, which gave the Giants a 19-10 lead with 3:54 remaining.

New York has won three in a row. They improve to 4-7 this season. 

They Bengals have dropped three-straight games. They're 2-8-1 on the year. 

Record Setting Touchdown

Brandon Wilson returned the 103-yard kickoff return is the longest in Bengals' history. Wilson ties Tremain Mack for the most returned kicks for touchdowns in team history (2). 

Injuries

Bengals starting right guard Alex Redmond left Sunday's game in the second quarter with a concussion. Quinton Spain took Redmond's spot at left guard and Michael Jordan took Spain's spot at left guard. 

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter. He returned briefly for two plays, but was unable to continue. Veteran quarterback Colt McCoy took his place in the lineup and played for the remainder of the game.

Up Next

The Bengals play the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. ET. Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to start for the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa is recovering from a thumb injury. 

For more on the Bengals, including the latest NFL news, go here!

Published
James Rapien
JAMES RAPIEN

James Rapien is the publisher of Bengals On SI. He's also the host of the Locked on Bengals podcast and Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube. The Cincinnati native also wrote a book about the history of the Cincinnati Bengals called Enter The Jungle. Prior to joining Bengals On SI, Rapien worked at 700 WLW and ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati

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