Media experts give their take on the Giants following Monday's win:
"The old adage has been proved once again. How do you win in the fourth quarter and close out games? With pass rush. Look at what the Giants just did on that previous possession."
"New York finished with three sacks on the evening, and had pressure in [Andy] Dalton's face for most of the night. Per early tracking data from Pro Football Focus, they got a rusher to Dalton on a third of his dropbacks. [Rashad] Jennings, meanwhile, took his 15 carries for a season-high 87 yards. He added three catches and 22 more yards through the air. And of course, he sealed the win down the stretch."
"Odell Beckham had himself quite a game, and made some history along the way. ODB finished the evening with 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. The score was the 31st of his career, breaking a tie with Antonio Brown for most in the NFL during that time."
"Odell Beckham turned in a nearly flawless performance in the Giants' 21-20 win over the Bengals Monday night. The stat line was impressive — 10 catches, 97 yards, and a touchdown — but the impact he had on the game loomed even larger."
"Beckham was, hands down, the best player on a field with the incredible Geno Atkins and arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, A.J. Green. And in a game where the margin was so tight, that has to be considered the difference in the contest."
"Regardless of previous successes, Monday's game was a welcome benchmark for the Giants as they watched their first-year head coach win with a pair of definitive moves. We say definitive because they were not fly-by-night decisions that just happened to work out, but strategic, deep-seated calls that ended up lifting the team to 6-3."
"With Beckham's Super Bowl sights, people are already drawing comparisons to the 2011 team that crept into the playoffs and pounded their way to the Super Bowl. While that may be an overreaction at this point, saying they'll return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 isn't. Out of all the things we'll hear about the Giants over the next few weeks, that might be the most cautiously ambitious."
"One of the reasons Landon Collins slid to the second round in the draft was concerns about his ball skills. Now he has four interceptions in the last three weeks. Credit Steve Spagnuolo and his staff for some good coaching."
Players who stood out during Monday night's game against the Bengals
DE OLIVIER VERNONThe veteran defensive end led the Giants with 10 tackles and had a key sack on third down late in the fourth quarter. Vernon also extended his team-high tackles for loss to eight.
WR ODELL BECKHAM JR. Beckham recorded a season-high 10 receptions for 97 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown. He also became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 3,500 receiving yards, doing so in 36 games.
SAFETY LANDON COLLINSCollins, who became the first safety to win player of the week awards in consecutive games since Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu in 2010, grabbed his fourth interception in the last three games.
WR STERLING SHEPARDThe rookie second-round pick out of Oklahoma caught his fourth touchdown of the season – and second in as many games – on fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line to give the Giants a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.
TE JERELL ADAMSThe rookie sixth-round draft pick out of South Carolina caught three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career.
