Giants Preview: MetLife Stadium opens doors for 1st time in 2022 against AFC Champion Bengals

The start of the NFL regular season is quickly approaching, and the Giants are looking to get through their next round of cuts.

After trimming the roster down to 85 over the last week, the Giants must get down to 80 players on the roster by August 23rd. The next step through that process though is playing another preseason game.

This week’s contest is the first home game for the G-Men of the 2022 season, and they welcome the defending AFC Champion Bengals into town.

We have everything you need to before the contest here.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Giants

When: Sunday, August 21st – 7:00pm – ET

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

How to Watch: NFL Network

Who to Watch: Giants

Collin Johnson

While Kenny Golladay has struggled throughout training camp, Collin Johnson has been a revelation. Johnson caught seven passes for over 80 yards in the team’s first preseason game against New England. While he did have a fumble, the 6’6 big-body receiver could be the perfect compliment for Golladay if he continues to struggle. The Giants need a player who can go up in the red zone and make a big play – it’s something they lacked all year in 2021. A strong showing from Johnson could solidify his spot on the 53-man roster.

Tyrod Taylor

The Giants have not announced if the starters are going to see any reps on Sunday night’s contest against Cincinnati. Whether they do or don’t is irrelevant. Tyrod Taylor has been penciled in as the backup quarterback. That potentially changed over the week with head coach Brian Daboll confirming that Taylor would get some first team reps, even though it was not an indictment on Daniel Jones. A strong preseason game against a good Bengals defense could help the former starter’s case to get more first team reps.

Adoree Jackson

The Giants starters are expected to play on Sunday, while none of the big names for Cincinnati will get time. That means the Giants offense and defense need to come out and play well. New York did a lot in the off-season to improve the front seven of their defense and have a pair of nice safeties. At the corner position though, Adoree Jackson headlines a very poor group on paper. Jackson has looked good in practice but needs to continue to show he can be a #1 corner in this league.

Keys to the Game

Starters must Dominate

If the Giants starters get significant time like previously reported, New York cannot just afford to have a mediocre game. The offense must score multiple times, while the defense must be consistent. The Bengals don’t have the same depth as other top teams in football. It’s important for the Giants to come out strong because the offense has not particularly been consistent enough in practice to warrant positivity heading into 2022. A good showing could very well help add some confidence going into the season.

Pressure. Pressure. Pressure.

The Giants defensive line has been drastically improved over the off-season. Against a Bengals offensive line that is still working out the kinks and gaining camaraderie together, the Giants defensive line should be able to get some consistent pressure in a big way.

It also works the other way too. The Giants interior offensive line has struggled early in training camp. New additions like Mark Glowinski haven’t shown consistency in practice and game reps will be extremely important to get up to speed.

As always in the NFL, getting interior pressure is immensely important to winning football games. Whoever gets the most in a game, usually ends up victorious. The way the Giants are built will only enhance that.

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