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.
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