The Cincinnati Bengals aren't asking for style points. None were given Sunday night.
The jokes about the Bengals never showing up in September aren't all that funny anymore because it's mid-October and they still seem stuck in the mud. At least they got an ugly win. The defense made enough plays to support an offense that got surprisingly little going, and they managed a 17-7 victory over the New York Giants.
If you want to be optimistic, it was a good sign for the Bengals that their struggling defense played by far its best game of the season and led a win. Assuming the offense plays much better than it did Sunday night, maybe that's a sign the Bengals can still be a factor in the AFC playoff picture. They just haven't looked like that team very often this season.
The Bengals got a touchdown run from Joe Burrow and not much else before running back Chase Brown iced the game with a 30-yard TD run with 1:58 remaining. Cincinnati, which was 1-4 coming into Week 6, is desperate for wins and Sunday night's victory gets it back to 2-4 for the season. But anyone who watched knows the Bengals don't seem any closer to getting out of their early-season slump.
Giants move the ball into Bengals territory with under a minute to play
Greg Joseph missed a 45-yard field goal with 55 seconds left, as the Giants tried to cut the game to just one possession, and Cincinnati will kneel it out for the
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Chase Brown all but puts the game on ice for the Bengals
the 30-yard rush came with just under two minutes remaining in the game, and gave the Bengals a two score lead.
Giants have another fourth down, and after getting their last three come up short
D.J. Turner breaks up the pass, and the Giants turn it over on downs with three minutes left in the game. The Bengals lead 10-7 and can close the deal with a couple of first downs.
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Big first down for Tyrone Tracy
A huge third down run by Tyrone Tracy has the Giants in Bengals territory again. In the second half, the Giants have had some success running the ball and nickle and diming their way down the field.
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Joe Burrow heads into the blue tent
Burrow was hit by Brian Burns to force a 3rd down incompletion and a Bengals punt, but all eyes will be on Burrow and if he can return to the game. Here's the play that sent Burrow to the tent.
Joe Burrow got up after this, but that's some pretty brutal whiplash to the turf pic.twitter.com/X6qgVKwIax
Giants come up empty after another plodding, methodical that included a fourth down conversion. Cincinnati still leads 10-7 in a game that has been highlighted by excellent play by both defensive lines.
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Facing another fourth and short, the Giants rolled the dice again and pick it up
This time it was the 6-foot-5 Daniel Jones taking it on a QB sneak at the 45-yard-line in Bengals territory.
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Giants open drive with 14-yard pass to Johnson
Daniel Jones hit his tight end Theo Johnson to open the series with the first down off a play action pass. That was the final play of the third quarter and the Giants are trailing 10-7.
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Dexter Lawrence gets Burrow to the ground to bring up 4th down
Evan McPherson gives Cincinnati a three point lead at 10-7 after Lawrence recorded his 7th sack of the season and the Giants' 4th of the night
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Burrow to Chase, and this one is just special
When you've been playing together as long as these two, this stuff just happens.
16 plays, 79-yards and two fourth down conversions on the way to the end zone, and the Giants score an offensive touchdown at MetLife stadium for the first time in 2024.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. enters the end zone to tie the game!
Azeez Ojulari again! This time forcing a fumble with the crown of his helmet, and the first Cincinnati turnover of the game couldn't have come at a better time for the Giants.
An inaccurate throw from Daniel Jones that Darius Slayton couldn't dig off the turf, a short loss on a run by Tyrone Tracy Jr., a short completion to tight end Theo Johnson and a Mike Hilton pass breakup. An extremely rough series for the Giants and Cincy takes over at the 38-yard-line in plus territory.
The two defenses have dominated the game. Other than the big run by Joe Burrow, neither offense has done much. Burrow and Jones are still their teams' leading rushers, and neither has been spectacular throwing the football. Burrow is 9-of-15 for 87 yards and Jones is 8-of-16 for 81 yards.
The Giants have sacked Burrow three times and the Bengals have taken Jones down once, and a pressure forced the game's only turnover.
Both offenses need to make some adjustments to get the ball moving, but both teams should be happy with their defensive efforts.
Also, in a low-scoring game, special teams may play a factor, and Giants' punt returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette left the game with a foot injury and is questionable to return.
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Ojulari Again!
The Giants now have three sacks in the game after coming into Week 6 leading the league in that category.
That penalty loomed huge, deflating the offense which had a 3-and-out
A huge missed opportunity for New York, and they'll have to punt deep in their own end. That penalty could be a turning point in the game if the Bengals are able to go down and add to their lead at the two minute warning.
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Darius Slayton's 56-yard gain wiped away by a penalty
The Giants were flagged for ineligible player down field on an RPO pass. The play would have been, by far, the longest of the day for the Giants.
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Tee Higgins making good use of his huge hands and tackle breaking ability
The two quarterbacks have done the heavy lifting on the ground tonight. Jones (three rushes, 28 yards) and Burrow (two carries, 57 yards) are the leading rushers in the game so far.
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Burrow flagged for intentional grounding
A 14-yard penalty on first down by Burrow to set up 2nd and forever for the Bengals from deep in their own end
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Trey Hendrickson takes down Daniel Jones in the Giants' backfield
Chase Brown has been a focal point of the Cincinnati Offense in the early going with three carries for 13 yards and an 11-yard reception. The drive stalling out though, thanks to the Giants' defensive line. Brian Burns stuffing Zach Moss on the final play of the 1st quarter with the Bengals leading 7-0.
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Germaine Pratt picks off Daniel Jones
B.J. Hill forced the pressure, and Cincinnati stops the Giants' march. Daniel Jones and company were moving the ball well before the interception, and now the Bengals take over in the waning minutes of the first quarter.
B.J. Hill gets the pressure. Germaine Pratt comes down with the @Bengals IN!
Darius Slayton gets Big Blue into Bengals territory, and the Giants follow that up with a 14-yard screen pass to Tyrone Tracy Jr., who's filling in the backfield for the injured Devin Singletary.
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Giants force 3-and-out
Cincinnati nearly had a safety on their hands on their second series, but Joe Burrow spun out of a sack to throw the ball away. The Giants take over in their end, midway through the first quarter
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Giants punt on first series
After a quick first down catch by Darius Slayton on their first offensive snap, the Giants punted it back to the Bengals. New York threw the ball on all four plays — the club is without lead back Devin Singletary for a second straight week as he tries to work his way back from a groin injury.
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Joe Burrow rips off a 47-yard Touchdown run
Yes, you read that correctly, and no, that's not Lamar Jackson in a Bengals jersey. A play after a sack, Burrow sets a new career-best with a 47-yard scramble for a score.
The No. 1 sack team in the NFL is at it again on the first drive. Burns, who inked a 5-year, $114 million deal with the Giants, is making good on that big payday early on against Cincinnati.
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