Sep 16, 2008 - 11:45 AM
0 shoutsCincinnati (0-2) at NY Giants (2-0), 1:00pm, EDT
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Even New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin - a man who is seldom happy - would be hard-pressed to complain about his team's performance last week.
Fresh off their most decisive win in nearly three years, the defending Super Bowl champions seek their first 3-0 start since 2000 on Sunday when they host the Cincinnati Bengals in a battle of former top draft picks.
"We challenged our team (last) week, we put the term 'Road Warriors' on the board and we talked about the values and virtues that we compiled and the success of last season," Coughlin said following the Giants' 41-13 rout of the St. Louis Rams - their most lopsided triumph since a 36-0 victory over Washington on October 30, 2005.
While the Giants posted their 12th straight win away from the Meadowlands, they have not enjoyed as much success at home. They were were just 3-5 at home last season, although they did open this season with a 16-7 victory over the Washington Redskins at Giants Stadium.
Eli Manning - the top pick in the 2004 draft - is facing Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer - who went No. 1 in the 2003 draft - for the first time. Cincinnati did beat Manning and the Giants, 23-22, in his rookie season, but Jon Kitna started for the Bengals.
While the Bengals are looking to avoid an 0-3 start, a win for the Giants will send them into the bye week undefeated.
Cincinnati will need to slow down the Giants' newly named "Earth, Wind and Fire" backfield trio of Brandon Jacobs ("Earth"), Derrick Ward ("Wind") and Ahmad Bradshaw ("Fire"). The threesome rushed for a combined 203 yards last week.
Manning threw three touchdowns as the Giants pulled away in the fourth quarter after the Rams had pulled within 20-13. New York opened the second half with a 97-yard drive.
"For St. Louis, we wanted to finish drives," Manning said. "We wanted to finish everything, get some more touchdowns. And that is what we did. We got the game in the fourth quarter and we played the way we have always played. When things got tight where we needed to make a play, we were able to make the plays. "
That is not the case for the Bengals, who have scored just 17 points in their first two games. Palmer passed for 134 yards in last week's 24-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The week before, he managed just 99 yards in a 17-10 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.
A Pro Bowler in 2005 and 2006, Palmer has opened the season with the two worst performances of his career.
"He's the same guy we've had," Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese said.
From the Bleachers
-
CINCINNATI: 23
NEW YORK: 26
Final
Sep 21 4:22 PM -
NFL
FG NYG
JOHN CARNEY 22 YD
CINCINNATI 23
NY GIANTS 26 8:39 LEFT, 1ST OT
Sep 21 4:22 PM -
CINCINNATI: 23
NEW YORK: 23
End of Regulation
Sep 21 4:04 PM -
NFL
FG CIN
SHAYNE GRAHAM 21 YD
CINCINNATI 23
NY GIANTS 23 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 21 4:04 PM -
Bengals 23, Giants 23 End of Regulation
RUWTbot
Added 70 roots (Close Finish, Overtime)
Sep 21 4:04 PM -
NFL
TD NYG
KEVIN BOSS 4 YD PASS FROM ELI MANNING
(JOHN CARNEY KICK)
CINCINNATI 20
NY GIANTS 23 1:50 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 21 3:55 PM -
NFL
TD CIN
T.J. HOUSHMANDZADEH 17 YD PASS FROM CARSON PALMER
(SHAYNE GRAHAM KICK)
CINCINNATI 20
NY GIANTS 16 4:39 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 21 3:43 PM -
NFL
FG NYG
JOHN CARNEY 26 YD
CINCINNATI 13
NY GIANTS 16 11:32 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 21 3:28 PM -
CINCINNATI: 13
NEW YORK: 13
End of 3rd
Sep 21 3:18 PM -
NFL
FG NYG
JOHN CARNEY 46 YD
CINCINNATI 13
NY GIANTS 13 6:23 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Sep 21 3:08 PM -
CINCINNATI: 13
NEW YORK: 10
Halftime
Sep 21 2:26 PM -
NFL
FG CIN
SHAYNE GRAHAM 30 YD
CINCINNATI 13
NY GIANTS 10 0:32 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 21 2:22 PM -
NFL
FG NYG
JOHN CARNEY 24 YD
CINCINNATI 10
NY GIANTS 10 3:55 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 21 2:06 PM -
NFL
TD CIN
CHRIS PERRY 25 YD RUN
(SHAYNE GRAHAM KICK)
CINCINNATI 10
NY GIANTS 7 7:20 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 21 1:56 PM -
NFL
TD NYG
BRANDON JACOBS 1 YD RUN
(JOHN CARNEY KICK)
CINCINNATI 3
NY GIANTS 7 10:36 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 21 1:46 PM -
CINCINNATI: 3
NEW YORK: 0
End of 1st
Sep 21 1:36 PM -
NFL
FG CIN
SHAYNE GRAHAM 22 YD
CINCINNATI 3
NY GIANTS 0 0:38 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Sep 21 1:32 PM
