CINCINNATI — Saquon Barkley played peacemaker this week, as Baker Mayfield reached out to him to help smooth over the comments the Browns quarterback made to GQ magazine that sure made it sound as if Mayfield feels Daniel Jones is not a winner and was drafted too high by the Giants.
“Baker reached out to me,’’ Barkley said Thursday night after the Giants improved to 3-0 in the preseason with a 25-23 victory over the Bengals. “Through a mutual friend he got Daniel’s number and sent Daniel a text and basically, just in case he didn’t have the right number, or he switched his number, he had said, ‘Can you make sure Daniel gets this?’ That was really it.’’
Jones did not appear shaken at all by the comments and took Mayfield’s text in stride.
“I certainly appreciated him reaching out,’’ Jones said. “I realize he said that a long time ago and there’s no telling how he said it and I trust him.’’
Jones said Mayfield’s text explained “it was just a miscommunication and a misrepresentation of what he said. I told him it was all good and no worries.’’
The starting defense stayed on the field for four series and allowed seven points, with a familiar issue surfacing that is sure to irk Giants fans. Tight end C.J. Uzomah got a step on safety Jabrill Peppers on the right sideline, with cornerback Corey Ballentine trailing, and hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton late in the first quarter. Covering tight ends is akin to mission impossible for the Giants and they allowed Landon Collins to leave in free agency and traded for Peppers to improve their coverage on the back end.
This is what the Giants want to see from Oshane Ximines, a rookie third-round pick who arrived with the reputation as a pass rusher. Ximines had two sacks, giving him three in the past two games.
Left guard Will Hernandez has had better games. He struggled mightily, called for two holding penalties (one was declined) and was hit with a false-start penalty while blocking on a field-goal attempt, all in the first quarter.
RB Rod Smith suffered an abductor injury while taking the ball into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and did not return.
Coach Pat Shurmur, to the delight of everyone fearing possible overtime, eschewed the extra point after a Jon Hilliman touchdown run pulled the Giants within 17-16 with 8:34 remaining. Kyle Lauletta completed the two-point conversion with a pass to Alonzo Russell. Lauletta outplayed Alex Tanney in the battle for a roster spot.
Barkley did not play, but TE Evan Engram received his first action of the preseason. He turned a screen into a 9-yard gain on the first drive of the game.
“I thought he needed it a little bit more, just the confidence of being out there,’’ Shurmur said of Engram.
This was the preseason debut for Darius Slayton, the rookie wide receiver from Auburn, and he came up with a nifty back-shoulder reception for a 27-yard gain. Slayton missed the first two games with a strained hamstring.