Giants Can’t Hold Off Bengals

CINCINNATI — Those guys from New York sure look a lot like the old Bungles.

With a slump-busting win at their numb fingertips, the Giants gave up a long punt return, an improbable completion and a tipped interception that rallied the Cincinnati Bengals to a 23-22 victory Sunday.

Jon Kitna’s four-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson with 44 seconds left touched off a gleeful celebration on a frosty afternoon. Fans tossed clumps of snow into the air and, a few minutes later, whipped a few snowballs at the downcast Giants (5-10), who have lost eight in a row and have no idea what to do next.

“That is one of the most bizarre games I’ve ever seen in my life,” Giant Coach Tom Coughlin said. “I have no explanation for why, play after play after play with opportunities, we can’t make a play.”

The Giants were convinced that their two months of misery was coming to an end when Steve Christie’s fifth field goal put them up, 22-17, with 5:15 left, and they got the ball back with a chance to close it out.

The weirdness was just beginning.

“I thought we had it,” said Eli Manning, who was only a couple of first downs away from closing out his first NFL win as a starting quarterback.

They managed only one, forcing a punt that they covered poorly. Keiwan Ratliff ran it back 42 yards to the New York 24. Just like that, Cincinnati (7-8) was back in business.

Kitna misfired on three passes, setting up a fourth and 10. He couldn’t find anyone open, so he threw a jump ball to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a 6-foot-1 receiver who stretched above cornerback Frank Walker and safety Brent Alexander and held on as they tried to claw the ball away.

After Kitna’s second touchdown pass to Johnson put the Bengals ahead, the Giants had one more chance.

They got the ball at midfield, but Manning’s first pass was tipped at the line by Robert Geathers and deflected to lineman Carl Powell for the clinching interception.