The Bengals gave up 145 points in the first five weeks of the year, which was good for 31st in the league, and their defensive shortcomings were the biggest reason why they were 1-4 going into Sunday night’s game.
Sunday night found that defense in a much better place. The Bengals shut the Giants out in the first half and left New Jersey with a 17-7 win that they hope will be the springboard to greater success. For that to happen, they’ll need that unit to keep living up to head coach Zac Taylor’s expectations.
“What I see every single day of the week – just a resilient group that goes about it the right way, believes in each other, believes in what we’re doing,” Taylor said, via a transcript from the team. “And that’s what I expect to see from those guys. And this was a great way – on Sunday Night Football, in front of the world – for them to show who they are because that’s what we see every day, and that’s the blueprint.”
Sunday night was definitely the blueprint and the future will tell us if it is one the Bengals can follow on a regular basis.
Sunday night’s matchup between the Bengals and Giants turned into a defensive battle at MetLife Field.
But in the end, Cincinnati prevailed with a 10-point victory, defeating New York 17-7.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow started the game with a 47-yard rushing touchdown, pulling the ball down on third-and-18 to find nothing but clear turf in front of him.
But after that, it was tough sledding for both teams. Neither Cincinnati nor New York scored for the rest of the first half, with the Giants’ only possession in opponent territory ending with a Daniel Jones interception.
The Giants tied things up a 7-7 midway through the third quarter with Tyrone Tracy’s 1-yard touchdown run — the first score of the rookie’s career. New York converted a pair of fourth downs on that possession, as head coach Brian Daboll was aggressive in that situation all night. The team finished 3-of-5 in the category.
While the Bengals grabbed a 10-7 lead late in the third quarter, the club had a chance to make it 14-7. A holding call took a Chase Brown rushing touchdown off the board. Then Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence sacked Burrow for an 8-yard loss, inducing Cincinnati to settle for Evan McPherson’s 37-yard field goal.
The Giants looked like they would tie it up on their ensuing drive, but Greg Joseph missed the 47-yard field goal attempt wide left.
Then New York had another opportunity in Cincinnati territory, going for it on fourth-and-2 from the 36 with 3:05 left in the fourth quarter. But Jones’ pass over the middle to Slayton was broken up by DJ Turner and fell incomplete.
Burrow helped seal the win with an off-schedule, 29-yard pass to receiver Andrei Iosivas to move the chains on third-and-12 with 2:12 left in the contest.
Brown then nearly gave it back to the Giants by fumbling on the next play, but the ball squirted safely out of bounds, ensuring Cincinnati kept possession.
In a bit of poor situational awareness that may have helped some fantasy teams, Brown then went 30 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. Had Brown given himself up, it would have effectively ended the game, as the Bengals could have run out the clock.
Instead, the Giants got another possession, which ended with a Joseph missed field goal from 45 yards out.
Burrow finished 19-of-28 passing for 208 yards. He also led the team with 55 yards rushing. Brown finished with 53 yards on 10 carries. Tee Higgins caught all seven of his targets for 77 yards, while Ja’Marr Chase caught five passes for 72 yards.
Despite missing Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York’s defensive front played well, with Brian Burns registering a sack, two tackles for loss, and eight total tackles. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari recorded 2.0 sacks and two TFLs, while Dexter Lawrence also recorded a sack and a TFL.
Jones was 22-of-41 passing for 205 yards with a pick. He also led the club with 56 yards. Tracy had 50 yards rushing on 17 carries and six catches for 57 yards. With Malik Nabers sidelined by a concussion, Darius Slayton caught six passes for 57 yards.
Now at 2-4, the Bengals will be in Cleveland to play the 1-5 Browns next week.
The 2-4 Giants will host the 3-2 Eagles in Week 7.
It took until midway through the third quarter, but the Giants have put points on the board and tied Sunday night’s matchup with the Bengals.
Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy powered his way into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown, making the score 7-7.
It was the first touchdown of Tracy’s career.
The Giants needed 16 plays to go 79 yards to get into the end zone, taking 6:45 off the clock. The club converted third-and-1 on the New York 32, fourth-and-2 on the New York 40, and fourth-and-1 on the Cincinnati 35 to keep the chains moving.
But the biggest play was a defensive pass interference penalty called on Bengals cornerback DJ Turner. Because he committed the foul on Darius Slayton in the end zone, the Giants got the ball at the 1-yard line. Tracy put the ball in the paint on the next play.
The Giants had previously gone for it on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter in their own territory, but Daniel Jones’ pass fell incomplete. New York got the ball back when Zack Moss fumbled and linebacker Micah McFadden recovered the loose ball.
There hasn’t been much to write home about in Sunday’s matchup between the Bengals and Giants, but aside from one play, New York’s defense has contained Cincinnati’s high-powered offense.
The Bengals have a 7-0 lead at halftime.
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow ran for a 47-yard touchdown on the team’s opening drive, converting a third-and-18 on the play. But after that, Cincinnati punted on each of its remaining five possessions in the half.
But on the other side, the Giants have not been able to get much going. New York advanced to Cincinnati’s 14-yard line on its second drive. But on first-and-10 from the Cincinnati 14, quarterback Daniel Jones was pressured and threw a ball up to the middle of the field, which was easily intercepted by linebacker Germaine Pratt.
The Giants have not gotten into Cincinnati territory since. But New York will receive the second-half kickoff.
Burrow is 9-of-15 passing for 87 yards. He also leads with 57 yards rushing and a touchdown on two carries. He’s been sacked three times, though pressured plenty more. Tee Higgins has four catches for 48 yards.
Jones has completed 8-of-16 passes for 81 yards and leads the team with 37 yards rushing.
The Bengals have an early lead over the Giants on Sunday night after quarterback Joe Burrow showed off his wheels.
Facing third-and-18, Burrow pulled the ball down, went to his right, and ran it 47 yards for a touchdown to give Cincinnati a 7-0 advantage.
It was not only the longest run of Burrow’s career, but also the longest run ever by a Cincinnati quarterback, according to the NBC broadcast.
Burrow had previously converted third-and-6 on the possession with a 10-yard run.
He also completed an 11-yard pass to Tee Higgins to move the chains.
Zack Moss had a 5-yard run and Chase Brown had a 4-yard run on the possession.
Burrow had been sacked on second-and-10 at the Giants’ 39, which put the Bengals in that unfavorable third-and-18. But there was nothing sneaky about Burrow’s athleticism as he sprinted toward the paint and dove toward the pylon to score.
