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A new look Cincinnati Bengals take the field in Week 12 against the New York Giants.
Those Bengals won’t have Joe Burrow under center — but they do have a young leadership core led by Jessie Bates and Tyler Boyd that is hungry to prove it can win games and build momentum for next season.
That’s actually easier said than done against the Giants, though.
New York is only 3-7 but has quietly won two in a row and only permits 23.6 points per game. Daniel Jones has been erratic under center (eight touchdowns, nine interceptions), but running back Wayne Gallman has really come on in recent weeks, scoring all five of his rushing touchdowns over his last four games.
The big focus is on Cincinnati, though. It’s either Ryan Finley or Brandon Allen under center for an offense getting Bobby Hart back at right tackle and still boasting plenty of talented wideouts. In the backfield, Giovani Bernard should be able to give it a go despite being questionable for most of the week.
On paper, the Bengals should be able to spread out the Giants and pepper a talented cast of receivers with targets. But there’s no guarantee (presumably) Allen can make it work consistently.
And one also can’t shake the feeling that brutally deflated look the Bengals had after Burrow went down last week will carry over to this week. The Bengals have some young leaders with fight, but this is still a roster undergoing a rebuild for a 4-21-1 head coach. New York is quietly a solid team seemingly headed for better days, which makes this a tough sell.
Were it Burrow, it’s an obvious, easy pick. Given the on-field and leadership loss, it’s hard to make the same pick.
Prediction: Giants 20, Bengals 17
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