Giant Standouts: Preseason Week 3 at Cincinnati Bengals

The New York Giants defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 25-23 on Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium to extend their preseason record to a perfect 3-0.

Of course, wins, losses, and records don’t matter in the preseason. It’s all about the performances on the field. There were strong performers on the offensive side of the ball, and on defense. Here are the “Giant Standouts” from Week 3 of the preseason.

QB Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones was the talk of the week, thanks in part to Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield’s GQ Magazine interview. Even though Mayfield stated his comments were misconstrued, Jones did his best Eli Manning impression and completely downplayed the whole ordeal.

Against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, Jones displayed ball security issues. In his third preseason game against the Bengals, Jones received his “welcome to the NFL” moment in the form of nasty hits. On one occassion, the rookie was sandwiched between Bengals pass rushers Carl Lawson and Sam Hubbard. But the thing is, Jones didn’t falter or “go home,” as head coach Pat Shurmur said after the Bears game. Instead, he stood poised in the pocket, looked downfield, and threw the ball.

Perhaps the best example came in the second quarter, where Jones unleashed a deep pass to fellow rookie Darius Slayton with defensive pressure in his face, and the throw landed perfectly in the hands of the receiver.

Jones finished the night completing 9-of-11 passes for 141 yards, sending his preseason total to 25-of-30 for 369 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones is continuing to prove his critics wrong, but even with his strong performances so far, he’ll be heading to the bench at the start of the regular season, as Shurmur confirmed the obvious on Friday: Manning will be the Week 1 starter against the Dallas Cowboys.

DT Dexter Lawrence

Speaking of silencing critics, 17th overall pick Dexter Lawrence showcased just how dominant he can be at the line of scrimmage. 

Mainly a run stuffer at Clemson, Lawrence was a complete disruptor in the passing game. On the very first series of the game, the 340-pound lineman put tremendous pressure on the interior of the line and batted a Andy Dalton pass to force a third down.On the very next play, Lawrence, Tae Davis, and Lorenzo Carter blitzed, forcing a pass breakup from Corey Ballentine.

Lawrence gave Giants fans a glimpse of what he can do on the interior defensive line.

WR Darius Slayton

The fifth-round selection out of Auburn has been hampered by a hamstring injury, forcing him onto the sidelines for the first two preseason games.

His very first catch for the Giants was an impressive one. Daniel Jones unleashed a 27-yard pass to Slayton that landed perfectly in his hands, and toe tapped along the left sideline for the huge gain.

The Giants expected huge things out of Slayton as a deep ball threat, and he certainly lived up to that hype.

LB Oshane Ximines

New York selected Oshane Ximines to be a crucial part in their pass rush off the edge, and he delivered the goods on Thursday.

In the waning seconds of the second quarter, Ximines exploded off the edge past Bengals left tackle O’Shea Dugas to bring down quarterback Ryan Finley instantly for the sack. On another play, Ximines broke through the middle of the offensive line to again sack Finley.

Ximines has plenty of room left to grow, but showcased just how dangerous he can be as a pass rusher.

WR Brittan Golden

If there was ever a performance that won you a spot on the 53 man roster, Brittan Golden had just that in Cincinnati.

Firstly, he hauled in two passes for 59 yards, one of which coming on a 35-yard pass from Daniel Jones. He then had a fumble recovery after the rookie quarterback lost the ball on the aforementioned sandwich hit. Finally, he had a huge 68-yard punt return for a touchdown.

If you want to impress a coaching staff, it’s by making a play on special teams. That punt return for a touchdown may have solidified Golden’s spot on the Giants opening week roster.