Peerman injured his knee on an 18-yard reception when he leaped for the end zone and got helicoptered out of bounds by Giants safety Bennett Jackson.
“I thought, ‘I might score a touchdown,’ ” Peerman said. “All of a sudden the bees came out of nowhere and stung me a bit. I kind of landed awkwardly and kind of turned my leg inside. Just a little tendinitis. Not a big deal. I know it looked kind of awkward, but I’m OK.”
Peerman and Burkhead were among seven Bengals who had rushes of at least 10 yards as Cincinnati outgained the Giants on the ground 225 to 106.
Cornerback Darqueze Dennard left the game in the second quarter with a groin injury, the extent of which is unknown.
Receivers return: Friday's game marked the return to action after extended absences for wide receiver Marvin Jones, who missed all of 2014 with foot injuries, and tight end Tyler Eifert, who missed the final 15 games with an elbow injury after playing only the first eight snaps in the opener.
Eifert caught a 12-yard pass from Andy Dalton on the Bengals first offensive play and later hauled in an 18-yard strike from backup Josh Johnson.
Jones, playing in a game for the first time since the 2013 playoff loss to San Diego, had one catch for 17 yards, which came one play after he battled unsuccessfully for an underthrown ball in the end zone.
“It was good to have all the experiences that I had,” he said. “Me trying to go back and fight to get the ball and a collision, all that stuff that you need to get into the flow of the game I accomplished. I’m glad that happened.”
Eifert was encouraged as well.
“It’s good to get out there and play well,” he said. “When I’m out there, I’m not thinking about my elbow brace and my repaired shoulder. I’m just out there trying to play as fast as I can and help this team win.”
Rookie report: The Bengals' top two picks in May's draft, tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, did not play. Ogbuehi is still working his way back from a December ACL injury, while Fisher sat out for undisclosed reasons.
Third-round tight end Tyler Kroft played 25 of the 73 offensive snaps, and while he didn’t have a catch, he did have a key block on James Wilder’s touchdown run.
Third-round linebacker P.J. Dawson played 21 of the 59 defensive snaps. He had two tackles, one of which was for a loss of 2 yards.
Fourth-round cornerback Josh Shaw played 53 snaps, second only to end Will Clarke’s 54 on defense. Shaw had four tackles and a pass defended. Fourth-round defensive tackle Marcus Hardison (48 snaps) had three tackles, including a sack.
Fifth-round tight end C.J. Uzomah (42 snaps) was targeted five times, catching two passes for 13 yards.
Sixth-round safety Derron Smith 34 snaps) had two tackles. And seventh-round wide receiver Mario Alford (33 snaps) had a 23-yard run and a 13-yard catch to go along with two punt returns for 8 yards.
Among undrafted rookies, cornerback Troy Hill (39 snaps) saw the most reps. recording three tackles and breaking up two passes.
About the Author