EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Davis Webb and Alex Bachman put on a late show to give the New York Giants a preseason win and top draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux put an exclamation on it by saying his knee injury wasn't that bad.
Webb threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Alex Bachman with 35 seconds to play to rally the Giants to a 25-22 preseason victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night.
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Before the dramatic finish, the Giants had serious concerns about Thibodeaux, the edge rusher who was the No. 5 overall pick in the draft. He hurt his right knee in the second quarter and initially it looked bad even though he walked off the field.
“I'm good, I'll be back," Thibodeaux said while walking past the media without a limp after the game. He said it was good news.
Coach Brian Daboll said he would discuss the injury Monday after hearing all the test results. The new coach liked what he saw on the field, especially the way his team rallied later after Cincinnati took a 22-18 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Jacques Patrick with 3:05 to play.
Webb's second touchdown pass of the half to Bachman capped a nine-play, 75-yard march that pulled it out for New York (2-0). The two had combined on a 22-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter to put the Giants ahead 18-16.
Webb, who is the Giants' third quarterback behind Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, finished 22 of 27 for 204 yards.
Webb said on the game-winning TD, the Bengals played man-to-man defense and a linebacker blitzed.
“I didn't make a good throw, I kind of babied it in there,” Webb said. “I was like, 'Don’t miss it, he's so open.' I didn’t throw it good, but he made a great catch, reversed field and scored. That’s Bachman.”
Bachman, whose parents flew in from Southern California for the game, had his best day as a Giant, catching 11 catches for 122 yards in a bid to make the team's crowded receiver group.
“I finally get an opportunity really to go out there and just appreciate the coaches for putting us in a position to be successful,” Bachman said. “And for Davis, for believing me, keep throwing me the ball ... and just glad we were able to go out there and put on a show for the fans.”
The defending AFC champion Bengals fell to 0-2 as they again used younger players and rested their starters for the second straight week.
"These games are so critical," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “The way we practice is so segmented, so for these guys to go out and play the length of time they do is invaluable for these guys. We hope they are learning from it.”
The Bengals opened a 16-7 lead early in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Trayveon Williams.
Evan McPherson provided the other points for Cincinnati on field goals of 50, 44 and 31 yards.
Jashaun Corbin had scored on 2-yard run on the last series led by Jones (14 of 16 for 116 yards). Webb then rallied New York with three drives. The first ended with a 31-yard field goal by punter-turned-kicker Jamie Gillan followed by the TD passes for Bachman.
INJURIES
Besides Thibodeaux, the Giants had placekicker Graham Gano sustain a concussion, wide receiver/returner C.J. Board leave with a rib injury and linebacker and sixth-round pick Darrian Beavers sustain an injury to his left knee in the third quarter.
Cincinnati lost guard Lamont Gaillard to a calf injury in the third quarter.
NEW JOBS
With Gano out, Gillan took over the kicking duties and did a good job. Two of his kickoffs in the second half landed in the back of the end zone and were not returned. While the get-off time on his 31-yard field goal was not the fastest, it was down the middle. Safety Julian Love was the holder for the left-footed kicker.
UP NEXT
Bengals: Have Super Bowl rematch with the Rams in Cincinnati on Saturday evening.
Giants: Face the Jets on Sunday in the annual preseason game between the franchises that co-own MetLife Stadium.
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL