brandon allen

New York Giants: Bengals head coach keeping starting QB hidden before week 12

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New York Giants, Brandon Allen

The New York Giants are going into one of the most important games of their season on Sunday, but they still don’t know who the opposing quarterback is. Joe Burrow was injured in the last game out for the Bengals, and now that he’s out for the season, the Bengals have multiple players to replace him with. The catch is that none of them are exactly experienced NFL starters, and it looks like the Giants will have an advantage regardless of who the Bengals go with.

Still, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is being careful with the information about who will start. While reports initially came out suggesting the team could go with Brandon Allen, more uncertainty has been introduced through statements made by Taylor.

The head coach hasn’t publicly said either way which player will be starting – Brandon Allen, or Ryan Finley.

“We feel like we’ve got two guys that know the system very well and can lead us to victory. [It’s based on] who gives us the best chance to win. We always do what’s best for the team, and we’re always going to do what puts us in the best position to win games,” Taylor said to reporters about the team’s quarterback situation.

One would expect the Giants to win against either player. Allen only has 515 passing yards and a 3-2 career ratio for touchdowns and interceptions. Finley, on the other hand, only has 505 passing yards and 3 interceptions to only two touchdowns.

However, the Giants did already suffer a blowout loss this season to backup quarterback Nick Mullens and the 49ers. It would be wise not to underestimate the opposition just because they don’t have their starting quarterback – even if the Bengals are another team stuck in the lower echelon of the league for now.

New York Giants: Bengals to start QB Brandon Allen, Patrick Graham knows what to do

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New York Giants, Brandon Allen

The New York Giants are gearing up to face off against the Cincinnati Bengals in week 12, but they will be without their starting quarterback in Joe Burrow.

Burrow suffered a torn MCL, ACL, and further structural damage last week against the Washington football team. Burrow has essentially been their entire offense, utilizing his legs and elite arm to churn out yards and score points against other teams.

However, in his absence, the Bengals are preparing to feature quarterback Brandon Allen, who has just one year of NFL experience under his belt. He was with the Denver Broncos in 2019, playing in three games, earning 515 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He had a 46.4% completion rate. Overall, Brandon was a liability and was quickly moved on from Denver, ending up with Cincinnati.

While it is never good news for a team losing their starting quarterback, this will make the contest far easier for the Giants, who lost an earlier game to the San Francisco 49ers and back up quarterback Nick Mullens.

The New York Giants can’t let this be a trap game:

With the way the Giants have been playing recently, the defense should have an easy time with Allen and an offense carrying on without starting running back Joe Mixon.

Currently, Patrick Graham’s unit ranks 12 in point allowed per game, sixth in rushing yards, and 24th in passing yards. Allen isn’t the most accurate passer and certainly doesn’t have the experience to thread the needle in coverage, especially one as diverse and complicated as the Giants.

I expect to see the interior defensive line dominate in this context, similar to the earlier portions of the season, as the unit currently ranks seventh in sacks in the NFL.

Unique looks and blitzes will be a focal point for the Giants, trying to distract Allen and his inexperience. The Bengals have allowed 30 points or more four times this season, holding teams under 20 points just once. The Giants’ offense should get some solid momentum if they can capitalize on a weak opponent.