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Bengals vs. Giants score: Cincinnati wins ugly 17-7 defensive slugfest at the Meadowlands on Sunday Night Football

Joe Burrow's early, 47-yard touchdown run was Cincinnati's biggest offensive highlight

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.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow scores a touchdown as New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) and linebacker Isaiah Simmons (19) move in on the play during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow scores a touchdown as safety Jason Pinnock and linebacker Isaiah Simmons look on. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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.

Check out the recap below:

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  • Featured

    Bengals win ugly, 17-7 defensive slugfest

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Burrow buys time to get critical first down with two minutes left

    On a third and 12, Burrow scrambled to his right and found Andrei Iosivas for the big conversion.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Greg Joseph misses from 47 yards

    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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Burrow to Chase, and this one is just special

    When you've been playing together as long as these two, this stuff just happens.

  • Tyrone Tracy finishes the drive for the Giants

    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.

  • Pass Interference against Cincinnati gets the bal to the 1-yard-line

    Darius Slayton drew the foul, and the Giants are in business

  • Giants go for another fourth down, and convert

    Tyrone Tracy bounces it outside, and his secondary burst got the first down for the Giants, who've gotten the ball into field goal range.

  • Giants pick up first down on another 4th down attempt

    The Giants run an old freeze option, out of a college playbook to give themselves some breathing rom with a second first down on the drive.

  • Zach Moss coughs it up, Giants recover

    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.

  • Giants open 3rd quarter with turnover on downs

    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.

  • Halftime: Bengals 7, Giants 0

    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.

  • Ojulari Again!

    The Giants now have three sacks in the game after coming into Week 6 leading the league in that category.

  • Azeez Ojulari gets a sack on first down

    Even without Kayvon Thibedaux, the Giants are finding edge rushers to keep Burrow in the pocket and get him on the ground after his long run earlier.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Tee Higgins making good use of his huge hands and tackle breaking ability

  • Giants' safety Jason Pinnock is questionable to return with a knee injury

    Pinnock left the game after Joe Burrow's 47-yard touchdown run, and has yet to return to the game.

  • Daniel Jones scrambles for a first down

    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.

  • 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

  • Trey Hendrickson takes down Daniel Jones in the Giants' backfield

  • Bengals cross midfield

    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.

  • 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.

  • G-Men on the move

    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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Brian Burns sacks Burrow

    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.

  • Bengals bag a couple of first downs on the opening series

    A third down scramble by Joe Burrow and an 11-yard reception by Tee Higgins have the Bengals on the move and in Giants territory.

  • The Giants have some Super alumni in the building for SNF

  • Giants take the field in the Big Apple

  • Bengals inactives for Sunday Night Football

    • WR Jermaine Burton

    • DT Lawrence Guy

    • DE Cedric Johnson

    • TE Tanner McLachlan

    • OT Andrew Stueber

    • DT Jay Tufele

  • Giants inactives for Week 6, Sunday Night Football