By Paul Dehner Jr., Charlotte Carroll and Lauren Merola

It wasn’t pretty, but the Cincinnati Bengals were able to pull off a 17-7 victory against the New York Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

“Ugly, really ugly, but we got it done,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said of the win after the game. He added that he is “all good” after making a pit stop in the medical tent after taking a hard hit from 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 their home MetLife Stadium, the Giants hit only field goals and surrendered both matchups.

The only score of the first half came on the opening drive, when Burrow rushed for a 47-yard rushing touchdown. Cincinnati’s defense forced four punts and one interception in the first half to hold New York scoreless.

“I’m really proud of how our defense is playing, they put us in a great position,” Zac Taylor said at halftime.

JOE BURROW OH MY pic.twitter.com/SMldP70GEB

—NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2024

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

Bengals just needed a win

In any way, shape or form.

It didn’t happen in the way they probably expected, but in the end they were done. After two losses entering the fourth quarter with a lead and seeing a fourth-and-16 in Kansas City and a failed hold against Baltimore all season, they were able to make enough winning plays late to make a critical period to complete. – 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 edge. That wasn’t the case, but they survive and the Bengals can now reset and think about stringing together wins as they try to dig out of the hole they created. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bangladeshi beat writer

The Bengals defense is holding strong in New York

Cincinnati’s defensive leaders admitted this week that they haven’t kept their end of the bargain this season. They did that, and then some more against the Giants.

The defensive line that hasn’t played a game yet with their 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 third-down PBU, Trey Hendrickson had a sack and the Bengals were solid against the Giants’ run game. Cornerbacks also broke up two passes on fourth downs.

This was the most important sign of progress for the beleaguered group, even as they faced a New York attack with its own pile of problems. — Dehner

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

The Bengals’ offense came back to life on Sunday night after three straight games in which at least 33 points had been scored, while the Giants’ disruptive defensive front played a major role in the Bengals’ self-inflicted sloppiness. Ja’Marr Chase drained a third-down conversion. Zack Moss fumbled in Giants territory. There was a Cordell Volson break that negated a touchdown run, a sack in which Amarius Mims appeared to confuse the snap count and another play being blown up that saw Mike Gesicki tasked with blocking Brian Burns without success.

It was a well-oiled machine, but the error-filled effort slowed the season’s momentum and left the offense with rough film to evaluate for the first time since Week 1. Dehner

The Giants defense is putting in a valiant effort without Kayvon Thibodeaux

The Giants defense fought and gave everything until it couldn’t anymore. The Bengals entered the night averaging 28 points per game – 35 points per game over the last three games. The Giants had a strong performance, allowing 10 points until less than two minutes remained. It was an encouraging performance for a defense missing one of its star pass rushers, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

In Thibodeaux’s place, Azeez Ojulari made a big splash and finished with two sacks. The defense should now lead the league in sacks with 26.0. Much of that share comes from defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who continues to put up monster numbers. — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer

Being forced to play without Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary could prove to be an early blessing in disguise for the Giants’ offense. The Giants relied heavily on Nabers, targeting the rookie to complete 38.2 percent of the Giants’ passing yards – the highest in the league before his injury. Without him in the lineup, goal share has been a little more evenly split between Wan’dale Robinson and Darius Slayton, and Tyrone Tracy has emerged as another legitimate attacking playmaker.

The rookie Tracy had a breakout game in Seattle and continued his performance with his first career touchdown on Sunday. He finished with 17 carries for 50 yards and 1 touchdown. He is also an asset in the passing game, having only recently become a former receiver-running back. Tracy added 57 receiving yards. — Caroll

Required reading

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