Notes and statistics from the Giants' 21-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night in MetLife Stadium:
• The Giants improved to 6-3 with their fourth consecutive victory, their longest winning streak since they won four in a row from Oct. 21-Nov. 15, 2013.
• Including their 20-19 victory in the season opener in Dallas, this was the Giants' second 1-point victory this season. This is the first season in which the Giants have won two games by a single point since 1988, when they won at Washington, 24-23, and New Orleans, 13-12.
• The Giants rushed for a season-high 122 yards and averaged 4.5 yards a carry, significantly higher than their 3.2-yard average entering the game. Not coincidentally, their time of possession of 31:23 was their second-highest of the season. They owned the ball for 34:07 in their victory against New Orleans on Sept. 18.
• The Giants' 23 first downs was their second-highest total of the season; they had 28 against Washington on Sept. 25.
• Cincinnati's 264 total yards, 186 passing yards, and 12 first downs were all season lows for a Giants opponent.
• The Giants tied their season high with three sacks of Andy Dalton. They also had three sacks in their victory against the Rams on Oct. 23. Olivier Vernon and Robert Thomas – the first of his career – had full sacks, and Damon Harrison and Jonathan Casillas split the third sack.
• The Bengals were off last week. The Giants are 10-7 since 1990 when their opponents are coming off a bye and the Giants are not.
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.
• The Giants scored a touchdown on the game's opening series when Eli Manning threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jerell Adams. It was the Giants' first opening-possession touchdown in 14 games – and one year. On Nov. 15, 2015, Manning threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham, Jr. on their first drive against New England.
• Cincinnati responded with its own first-possession score, on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green – which was set up by Dalton's 72-yard completion to tight end Tyler Eifert. The Bengals were the third Giants opponent to score an opening-series touchdown this season, joining Green Bay on Oct. 9 and Los Angeles in London on Oct. 23.
• This was first game in which both the Giants and their opponents scored touchdowns on their first offensive drives since the game against the Patriots last season. Tom Brady threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Scott Chandler before Beckham's long catch and run enabled the Giants to tie the score two plays later.
• Manning completed 28 of 44 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions for a passer rating of 81.6. Each of the Giants' last seven touchdowns has been a Manning pass.
• In addition to the 10-yarder to Adams, Manning threw touchdown passes of 10 yards to Beckham and the game-winning 3-yarder to rookie Sterling Shepard.
• The throw to Shepard was Manning's 100th regular-season touchdown pass in MetLife Stadium.
• Although the game-winning touchdown was scored on the third play of the final quarter, Manning was credited with his 33rd fourth-quarter, game-winning drive (leading the Giants to victories in games in which they trailed or were tied in the fourth quarter).
• Beckham had a game-high 10 receptions for 97 yards. It was his fifth career game with at least 10 catches, and his first since Dec, 28, 2014, when he had 12 catches vs. Philadelphia.
• The 97 yards were a career-low for Beckham in a 10-catch game. The previous low was 130 yards on 11 receptions at Tennessee on Dec. 7, 2014.
• Beckham's touchdown reception was the 31st of his career, all from Manning. Only Plaxico Burress, with 33, has caught more touchdown passes from the 13-year veteran quarterback.
• Beckham's 97 yards increased his career total to 3,538, in 36 games. He set the NFL record for the fewest number of games to reach 3,500 receiving yards. The former record of 37 games was held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth.
• Beckham was deployed as a defensive back on the final play of the first half, when the Giants had five defenders line up across the goal line. The play, which began from the 50-yard line with three seconds remaining, was a long Dalton pass to Green that was batted down by Beckham and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
• Tight end Will Tye had season-high totals of five catches and 53 yards.
• Wide receiver Tavarres King was active for the first time since Oct. 9 in Green Bay and caught his first pass in a Giants uniform, for six yards.
• Adams' touchdown on the Giants' opening possession was the first of his career, on his seventh catch.
• Rashad Jennings rushed for a season-high 87 yards on 15 carries, a 5.8-yard average. He ran for 45 yards in the fourth quarter, including the game-clinching 25-yarder on the first play after the two-minute warning.
• Safety Landon Collins intercepted a Dalton pass intended for Tyler Kroft with 11:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was Collins' fourth interception in three games.
• Dalton's 72-yard pass to Eifert on Cincinnati's opening drive is tied for the longest play allowed by the Giants this season. The other was also in a home game against an AFC North opponent; on Oct. 16, Baltimore's Joe Flacco and Mike Wallace hooked up for a 72-yard completion.
• Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis lost a replay challenge with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter. On third-and-14 Dalton passed to Tyler Boyd for what was ruled a 13-yard gain, setting up a fourth down. Marvin Lewis challenged the ruling, claiming Boyd had picked up a first down. After review, referee John Parry said the ruling on the field was confirmed. Opposing coaches are 0-3 this season on replay challenges.
• The Giants' game captains were Beckham, Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins. They joined season captains Manning, Jonathan Casillas and Zak DeOssie.
• The Giants' inactive players were wide receiver Victor Cruz (ankle), left guard Justin Pugh (knee), cornerback Leon Hall, defensive end Kerry Wynn, offensive lineman Will Beatty, linebacker Deontae Skinner, and quarterback Josh Johnson.
Cruz missed his first game of the season because of the sprained ankle he suffered last week vs. Philadelphia. Rookie free agent Roger Lewis, Jr. made his first career start in Cruz' place, and caught one pass for two yards.
• The Giants lost another wide receiver when Dwayne Harris suffered a toe injury and was unable to play in the second half. Bobby Rainey took over the kickoff and punt return duties in the second half, returning three punts for 32 yards, and two kickoffs for 37 yards.
• Pugh, who hurt his knee against the Eagles, was inactive for the first time since Nov. 29, 2015 at Washington, where he missed the second of two games with a concussion. Brett Jones made his first NFL start, and first since he played for the Calgary Stampeders in their victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL's Grey Cup.
Jones's stay in the game was short, as he suffered a calf injury on the game's first series. Marshall Newhouse, who began the season as the starting right tackle, and Adam Gettis, signed off the practice squad last Wednesday, shared left guard snaps in the first half before Newhouse played the entire second half.
