5 Giants players Bengals must cut down to size to win on Sunday Night Football

Tyrone Tracy, Running back

Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy is the latest to show why NFL teams opt not to pay big money to running backs and elect to fill the position with cheaper and younger talent. 

The Giants took Tracy in the fifth round out of Purdue. According to the Giants' official depth chart, he is the third-string running back. That will look a lot different going forward. Against the Seahawks, Tracy ran 129 yards on 18 carries. 

Tracy had the opportunity to showcase his talents because Devin Singletary did not play last week. Even if Singletary returns, he may not be fully healthy. But even if Singletary plays, expect the Giants to give plenty of carries to Tracy. Hopefully, the Bengals’ defense can do a better job containing him than the Seahawks did. 

Nevertheless, the Bengals have given up over 100 yards to two running backs this season. Two more have gone over 90. Going all out to slow the Giants’ receivers could leave Cincinnati susceptible to a revived rushing attack featuring Tracy. 

Dexter Lawrence, Defensive tackle

Through five games, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has six sacks, 16 tackles, four tackles for loss, and ten QB hits. He is tied for second in the NFL in sacks. His six sacks are already the second-most of his career. Lawrence is well on his way to surpassing his 7.5 sacks in 2022, which landed him on the All-Pro team.  

Against the Seahawks, Lawrence had three sacks, two tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits. Against Cincinnati, he will spend much of his time lined up over center Ted Karras and guard Alex Cappa. However, New York will likely find ways to get him matched up one-on-one with Cordell Volson. 

Yes, Cincinnati must deal with dangerous edge defender Brian Burns. Nevertheless, the biggest threat is Lawrence. The defensive tackle is pivotal to the Giants’ rush and pass defense. The Bengals must have a way to identify and neutralize the destructive defensive tackle. If not, he could ruin the game on his own. 

The Bengals must rely on several individual players winning difficult one-on-one matchups this week. The offensive line won’t be able to double-team Lawrence and Burns every play. They can’t triple-team Lawrence all game, either. Shading coverage to Nabers means DJ Turner and whoever is in the slot must win their matchups with Slayton and Robinson, respectively.