Joe Burrow and the Bengals get their second win of the season in “ugly” game against the Giants: Key takeaways

By Paul Dehner Jr., Charlotte Carroll and Lauren Merola

It wasn't pretty, but the Cincinnati Bengals were able to pull out a 17-7 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

“Ugly, really ugly, but we did it,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said of the win after the game. He added that he was “fine” after making a pit stop in the medical tent after being hit hard by Giants linebacker Brian Burns.

After the Bengals took a 7-0 lead in the first half, the Giants countered in the third frame with their first offensive touchdown at home this season. Against the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium, the Giants only scored field goals and gave up both encounters.

The only score of the first half came on the first drive when Burrow scrambled for a 47-yard touchdown. Cincinnati's defense forced four punts and an interception in the first half to hold New York scoreless.

“Really proud of how our defense played, they put us in a great position,” Zac Taylor said on the halftime broadcast.

JOE BURROW Oh my God pic.twitter.com/SMldP70GEB

– NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2024

With the win, the Bengals improve to 2-4. The Giants fall to 2-4.

The Bengals simply needed a win

In whatever form.

It didn't turn out the way they probably expected, but they finally got it done. After two losses early in the fourth quarter by one and a fourth-and-16 in Kansas City, as well as a botched opener against Baltimore that changed the entire mood of the season, they were able to pick up wins late enough to make one critical point to finish – if sloppy – win in New York. It didn't have to be pretty considering how this season has gone and how close they are to the abyss. That wasn't the case, but they're surviving, and the Bengals can now restart and think about stringing together wins as they try to climb out of the hole they created. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer

The Bengals defense holds its own in New York

Cincinnati's defensive players admitted this week that they haven't lived up to their bargain this season. They did that and more against the Giants.

The defensive line, which has yet to play a game with its full complement of defensive linemen, but did so for the first time on Sunday and looked like a different group. BJ Hill had a hit that caused a turnover and a third-down PBU, Trey Hendrickson had a sack and the Bengals were solid against the Giants' running game. Cornerbacks also broke up two passes on fourth downs.

It was the most significant sign of progress for the struggling group, even as it faced a New York offense with its own problems. — Dehner

The Bengals offense is coming back down to earth after productive weeks

The Bengals' offense came back to life on Sunday night after three straight games of at least 33 points, while the Giants' troublesome defensive front played a big role in the Bengals' self-inflicted sloppiness. Ja'Marr Chase dropped a third-down conversion. Zack Moss fumbled in Giants territory. There was a Cordell Volson hold that negated a touchdown run, a sack in which Amarius Mims appeared to mess up the snap count, and another play in which Mike Gesicki was unsuccessfully tasked with blocking Brian Burns .

They were a well-oiled machine, but the flawed performance slowed the momentum of the season and left the offense with a rough record to evaluate for the first time since Week 1. — Dehner

The Giants defense makes a valiant effort without Kayvon Thibodeaux

The Giants defense fought and did its best until it couldn't anymore. By the way, the Bengals started the night averaging 28 points per game – 35 points per game in the last three games. The Giants had a strong performance, allowing 10 points with less than two minutes remaining. It was an encouraging performance for a defense that was missing one of its star pass rushers, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

In Thibodeaux's place, Azeez Ojulari improved significantly with two sacks. The defense should now lead the league with 26.0 sacks. A big part of that contribution comes from defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who continues to put up monster numbers. — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer

Being without Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary could prove to be a boon for the Giants' offense. The Giants relied heavily on Nabers, targeting 38.2 percent of the Giants' passes to the rookie – the highest in the league before his injury. Without him in the lineup, the target share was a little more evenly split between Wan'dale Robinson and Darius Slayton, and Tyrone Tracy has emerged as another genuine offensive playmaker.

Rookie Tracy had a breakout game in Seattle and continued his performance on Sunday with his first career touchdown. He finished the game with 17 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown. As a former receiver who recently became a running back, he is also an asset in the passing game. Tracy added 57 receiving yards. — Carroll

Required reading

(Photo: Phil Didion / The Enquirer / USA Today)