Tyrone Tracy choked early before the Giants found a running game in the second half

The Giants couldn't run the ball for one half on Sunday night against the Bengals at MetLife Stadium.

A week after rookie Tyrone Tracy ran for 129 yards in Seattle, the Giants were stopped on the ground in the first half by a Bengals defense that entered the game ranked 29th in the league in run defense, allowing 151.4 yards per game.

The Giants managed just 47 rushing yards and 37 of those came from Daniel Jones.

Eric Gray ran it twice for 7 yards. Tracy, the star of the show in the 29-20 win over the Seahawks, had three rushing attempts and just 3 yards.

In the second half the tide turned. The Giants didn't give up the third quarter run, which lasted 16 plays and covered 79 yards.

Tracy got the ball eight times on the drive and gained 29 yards.

He also caught a pass for 10 yards.

There was nothing special about it, but the Giants were finally able to gain positive yards on the ground.

He picked up a first down on a pitchout from Jones on fourth-and-2 and finished what he started with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.

With starting running back Devin Singletary missing his second straight game with a groin strain, Tracy has emerged as a viable option.

However, the Giants were unable to build on their current momentum and lost 17-7.

Tracy finished with 17 rushing attempts and 50 yards.

“We were more aggressive in the second half and kind of got into the flow,” Tracy said. “Once you start getting first downs and moving the ball a little bit, everyone starts to find their rhythm.”

A foot injury to Ihmir Smith-Marsette in the second quarter meant that Adoree' Jackson had to fill in as punt returner.

Smith-Marsette was able to return.

WR Darius Slayton was evaluated and cleared for a concussion in the third quarter.

The Giants held the Bengals to 17 points – 11 points below their average through the first five games.

They also limited the Bengals to 13 first downs and sacked Joe Burrow four times.

“We played well,” defensive end Brian Burns said. “There is so much more that can be done and there are some opportunities we have to take advantage of to change the game. “Just from a holistic perspective, we played well.”

Rookie WR Malik Nabers was at the game and watched from the sidelines.

He missed his second straight game due to a concussion.

The hope is that he can return for next Sunday's game against the Eagles.

The Giants' other inactive players were Singletary P Jamie Gillan, CB Tre Hawkins, G Jake Kubas and WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton. Tommy DeVito was the third quarterback.

At halftime, the Giants honored their 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl championship teams as part of their ongoing 100th season celebration.

The first 25,000 fans received a Tom Coughlin bobblehead.

Matt Haack, the newest Giants player for Sunday night's game against the Bengals, has been a full-time punter in the NFL for six consecutive years.

He went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2017 and won the starting job for the Dolphins as a rookie.

After serving as the starter in Miami for four seasons, he took over with the Bills in 2021 – where his career crossed paths with head coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen, both of whom were in Buffalo at the time.

After one year with the Bills, Haack played all 17 games for the Colts in 2022.

He was pretty much out of the league in 2023, aside from playing in one game for the Browns.

He was out of the NFL this season until he was selected by the Giants at a punting tryout last Friday after straining his left (punching) leg earlier in practice.

Gillan missed his first game of the season and Haack got the nod against the Bengals.

It was Haack's 100th career NFL game. In his first 99 games, Haack hit 432 punts for an average distance of 44.5 yards, including 160 punts inside the 20-yard line.