REST STOP: Mathias Kiwanuka and the Giants will try to improve on their NFL-best 18-5 record in games before byes when they face the Bengals today. (Joseph E. Amaturo)
CINCINNATI — It came as no surprise the Giants Saturday activated safety Will Hill, who missed the past four games serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. To make room on the roster for Hill, cornerback Michael Coe was put on season-ending injured reserve.
Hill, a promising first-year player, practiced all week on almost all of the special-teams units and is expected to play in Sunday’s game against the Bengals.
Also making the trip was right guard Chris Snee, who is listed as questionable with a sprained ankle. That he was on the charter flight is a positive sign the Giants are thinking he has a good chance to play.
Coe’s placement on IR is a bit curious, considering he came out of the loss to the Steelers with a hamstring injury he did not feel was very serious. He missed a game earlier this season at Carolina with a hamstring issue, and it had lingered ever since. The Giants needed a spot for Hill, though, and Coe was the one to go.
The only Giants not to make the trip were safety Kenny Phillips and linebacker Jacquian Williams.
* It usually has been a good bye for the Giants as far as how they enter their regular-season off week. They are an NFL-best 18-5 in games before their bye, a winning percentage of .783 — meaning they usually are able to enjoy their time off knowing they are coming off a victory, which greatly eases the mood.
The Giants finally get their bye in Week 11 after today’s game against the Bengals, and they know sitting on a loss for two weeks will not be pleasant.
“It would make a whole world of difference,” linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said. “You have a long time to sit and think about the loss and it’s difficult to enjoy your bye week with your family when you’re coming off of a loss, especially if you felt like you personally could have done things better. So that’s what my personal goal is and I’m sure that’s what the whole team’s goal is, to just make sure that no stone is left unturned. “If it’s extra studying, if it’s extra conditioning, if it’s extra running to the ball, we’ve just got to get that done so we can come out with a win.”
After the Giants, the Cowboys (18-6) and the Seahawks (17-6) have the league’s best records leading up to the bye week.
* Linebacker Chase Blackburn, coming off a hamstring injury that forced him to miss last week’s game, had extra motivation to play today. He is from Ohio, attended the University of Akron and has a great deal of family making the 90-minute drive.
It was either attend the game in person or miss out entirely, as the Bengals did not sell the required number of tickets to avoid having the game blacked out locally. “Even more people have to come to the game,’’ Blackburn said. … The Bengals likely will be without safety Reggie Nelson, who has played in 67 straight games. He is listed as doubtful after injuring his hamstring in last week’s loss to the Broncos.
* The Giants and Bengals have faced each other eight times, with the home team unbeaten. The Giants are 0-5 in Cincinnati. … The kickoff and punt return coverage has not been a big issue for the Giants, but those units broke down three times against the Steelers. “We’ve been giving up one this game, two games later we give up one,’’ special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said. “We were more consistent last year. I think we have more tackles inside the 20 this year, but we don’t want to be giving up one every couple games or the stuff that we had last week.’’
The Bengals have a dual return threat in Brandon Tate, who is averaging 27.3 yards on kickoffs and 10.5 yards on punts. … All the talk about Eli Manning being in a slump? Bengals coach Marvin Lewis isn’t buying it. “Your slump lasts about a week in the NFL, generally,’’ Lewis said.