THE New York Giants couldn’t overcome their primetime curse Sunday Night Football, fall to the Cincinnati Bengals17-7, at MetLife Stadium.
The offense, without rookie receiver Malik Nabers, was unable to generate big plays down the field against a porous secondary, while a healthier Bengals defensive line limited the Giants’ running backs to 3.15 yards per race.
Special teams fared no better as backup kicker Greg Joseph missed two fourth-quarter field goals from right.
But there was one positive: Shane Bowen’s increasingly dominant defense.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals entered Sunday’s game averaging 32.5 points per game over the past month, but were held to just 17 on the night. Superstar receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were held to under 80 yards each, and Burrow barely eclipsed 200 passing yards.
Retired offensive lineman and current NFL analyst Brian Baldinger looked at that defensive performance and focused on two players: linebacker Azeez Ojulari and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence.
“When you look at him, Ojulari was outstanding,” Baldinger said. “Simply exceptional in place of Kayvon (Thibodeaux).”
Ojulari created pressure and pushed Burrow off target, allowing Lawrence to rush for his seventh sack of the season.
“Dexter Lawrence with his seventh sack of the season, pushing both center and guard. Joe Burrow comes down and there’s Dexy, right there. Another sack,” Baldinger said. “I mean, does any defensive tackle — a nose tackle — play better than Dexter Lawrence?”
To answer Baldinger’s question, no. No one plays defense better than Lawrence. Complete shutdown.
And thanks also to Ojulari.
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This article was originally published on Giants Wire: Baldy Breakdown: Giants’ Azeez Ojulari was ‘outstanding’ against Bengals
