Giants edge Bengals with help from 'huge' fourth-down TD
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was one of those calls — a fourth-down attempt that either fails, leaves points on the board and looks like a needlessly aggressive decision, or it works and looks brilliant.
For Ben McAdoo and the New York Giants, it was the latter.
Facing a six-point deficit one minute into the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game, McAdoo kept his field goal unit on the sideline and relayed the call into quarterback Eli Manning’s helmet. The result: a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Sterling Shepard. It gave the Giants the go-ahead score, and paved the way for their 21-20 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"It was funny," Shepard said. "Eli and I talked about it just yesterday. We were talking about that exact same play. He was telling me different looks on what to do. The first look that we talked about, that was exactly what I saw. I’m just happy I have a smart quarterback in Eli."
Still, the decision to go for out was risky. Had it failed, it would’ve wiped points off the board. And it could’ve cost the Giants the game.
"We knew it was going to take touchdowns to beat this team," McAdoo said in his post-game press conference. "It’s a good football team and we felt like we needed to score touchdowns."
Added running back Rashad Jennings: "Oh, it was huge."
McAdoo, a rookie head coach, has said repeatedly that he fancies himself to be an aggressive play caller. But when taking shots like that, however, perhaps it’s balance that is best.
Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson, for example, was criticized for going for it on fourth downs in recent losses against the Dallas Cowboys and Giants. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin similarly went for two-point conversions four times — failing each — Sunday in a loss against Dallas.
"I think it is just knowing the situation at hand," receiver Odell Beckham Jr. told reporters after the game. "(McAdoo) gives us another opportunity to get another play on offense. We have got to do it. It is not to do it for us. It is to do it for our defense. It is just something that needs to be done. We came up big on a couple of them today, so I don’t mind him going for it at all."
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Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes
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