Dec 26, 1:00 pm (FOX) - Giants at Cincinnati
Giants at Cincinnati.
The Giants and Bengals haven't met in Cincinnati since Dec. 1, 1991, and that ended with a 27-24 Bengals win at Riverfront Stadium. Somehow the Giants are still in contention for the last wild-card
spot in the NFC, but with all their injuries they are hoping to break the losing streak and just win a game. Their encouraging 5-2 record has turned into a terrible 5-9 record, and nearing the
end of the season they would like to finish on a positive note. The Bengals are out of playoff contention and would like to win their last two and finish at 8-8 like they did last year.
Quarterbacks.
Unlike Eli Manning, Carson Palmer sat his entire rookie season last year and he wasn't named the starter until the off-season. The second-year
quarterback, last year's No. 1 pick overall, started the first 13 games this year for the Bengals and missed last week's 33-17 loss to Buffalo with a knee injury. Earlier they said Palmer
would start this game if he was close to 100 percent, but that's looking less likely as the week moves on. That may disappoint fans looking forward to seeing the last two NFL No. 1 overall
picks go head to head against each other in this matchup.
John Kitna was the quarterback last week, and he threw 2 interceptions and fumbled a snap in a 33-17 loss to Buffalo. To be fair, Kitna hadn't taken a snap until last week, and he will be
better prepared for this week's game if Palmer can't go.
Eli Manning.
Eli had his best outing to date against the Steelers last Saturday when he completed 16 of 23 passes for 182 yards, two touchdowns and one interception
for a 103.9 rating, but still, the Giants have lost seven straight. "I had some fun out there against Pittsburgh because we were able to move the ball," Manning said. "But we all could use
a win here."
Eli has the right attitude, but at one point in the game last week, center Shaun O'Hara and tackle Luke Petitgout both had to come out with minor injuries.
The offensive line has been a mystery all season, and Luke Petitgout has missed practice during the week so things might be no better for this game.
Bengals on offense.
Chad Johnson leads the Bengals with 82 receptions for 1,161 yards and 7 touchdowns and he partners with T.J. Houshmandzadeh who has 62 receptions for 843 yards
and 3 touchdowns. To go at them, the Giants have Frank Walker, starter Will Allen, Will Peterson and rookie Curtis Deloatch as cornerbacks.
Running back Rudi Johnson has rushed for 1,324 yards. That's 111 shy of Cory Dillon's club record of 1,435 set in 2000. The Giants defense will have to step up against the run as well.
Tiki Barber - Pro Bowl.
This week, Tiki Barber became the first Giants back since Rodney Hampton in 1993 to make the Pro Bowl and the only Giant this season. David Tyree was the first alternate on special teams,
tight end Jeremy Shockey a second alternate and linebacker Carlos Emmons a fourth alternate.
Tiki Barber and his brother Ronde became the first twins and seventh set of brothers elected to the Pro Bowl, The most recent before them was Shannon and Sterling Sharpe in 1994. Besides Tiki,
the other NFC backs chosen in voting divided among fans, coaches and players were Shaun Alexander and Ahman Green.
Tiki could have a big day against the Bengals, ranked 26th in the NFL on Rushing Defense.
The Bengals - Pro Bowl.
Three players made it from the Cincinnati team, Tory James, Chad Johnson and Willie Anderson. Tory James did it in his ninth season by picking off 7 balls to lead the NFL in interceptions
for the most of this season Chad Johnson caught a 90-yard touchdown pass in last year’s Pro Bowl, and finished with 156 for the second-most in the game’s
history.
How things work or don't work.
Earlier in the week it was reported that starting cornerback Will Peterson has been demoted for this game. Peterson has been working with the second-team defense in practice and won't start
against the Bengals. He was pulled from the game last week after being tagged with a a 5-yard holding penalty for a few plays and replaced by Frank Walker. Coughlin had said that the decision
to remove Peterson from the game was strictly based on personnel packages. Similarly alternate corner Will Allen left the same game for a few plays after allowing a 24-yard completion.
You have to wonder what the players are thinking about during the games when certain moves are made that don't appear to make much sense. Do they happen because of game circumstances, or are
they done as a disciplinary action to teach small lessons? There isn't much time during the game to voice your side of the story about how a particular play went to the powers that be. Will
the player return to the field with a clear mind or will it be cluttered up with extraneous coach-player baggage?
Injuries.
DT Norman Hand (groin) was placed on injured reserve ending his season. S Gibril Wilson (shoulder), G Chris Snee (glandular infection), OL Brandon Winey (concussion), DT Kenderick Allen (hamstring)
are out of Sunday's game.
Notes.
Tiki Barber ranks 2nd in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,857 and 2nd in the NFC in rushing with 1,314 yards.
He needs 175 yards to surpass Hampton's 6,897 yards for the team career record.
He needs 203 to break Joe Morris' Giants record of 1,516, set in 1986.
KR Willie Ponder had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Pittsburgh last week and is averaging 28.0 yards per kick return, best in the NFL.
Bengals need to win their last 2 games to finish at 8-8 which would match last year's mark.
Bengals loss to Buffalo last week ensured Cincinnati of a 14th straight year without winning record, one of the longest streaks of futility in NFL history.
Bengals have completed their first sellout of an entire home schedule since 1992.
They announced Thursday that Sunday’s home finale against the New York Giants is sold out.
Only 3 teams founded before 1995 have yet to win in Cincinnati during the regular season: Giants, Cardinals, Eagles.
Next Game
Dallas at Giants Jan 2, 8:30PM.
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