Best friends and roommates BJ Hill and Germaine Pratt once made a social media post recreating Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s pose from “Step Brothers.”

Perhaps Hill’s next creation should show him and Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo dressed in tuxedos for homecoming.

Because that was Sunday night for Anarumo, who coached the Giants’ defensive backs in 2018, and Hill, who spent three seasons with the team before being traded to the Bengals in 2021.

Actually, the most appropriate mock-up would have had Hill and Anarumo dressed as priests, because Sunday night’s 17-7 win against the Giants felt like an exorcism.

A Bengals defense that was mainly responsible for the team’s 1-4 start walked out of MetLife Stadium largely responsible for a season-saving win.

“Our goal on defense is if we score one goal, we have to win the game,” Hill said. “Whether the defense scores or the offense scores, that should always be our mentality. They (the offense) scored, gave us enough points to win the game, and that’s what we did.”

Anarumo, who grew up in Staten Island, N.Y. and attended many Giants games as a youngster, led a defense that had allowed 29 points per game through five weeks, ranking 31st in the league.

On Sunday night, Cincinnati’s defense shut down the Giants for the first 39 minutes, 12 seconds — and then again for the rest of the game after New York running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. had evened things at 7-7 with a 1-yard touchdown run.

For a while, it seemed like “Freaky Friday” would be the most appropriate movie poster to tie into the game, as Joe Burrow and one of the league’s best offenses had no answers outside of the quarterback’s 47-yard touchdown run to end the opening stage. of the game.

“It was great to see our defense develop like that,” Burrow said. “They have had some problems in recent weeks, but today they played great.”

That was the first of five shoutouts Burrow gave to Anarumo’s group.

Head coach Zac Taylor also praised the way the group played.

“I think you can name a lot of people on that defense that have really stepped up,” he said. “A resilient group that does things the right way, believes in each other, believes in what we do. That’s what I expect from those guys.

“So this was a great way to show who they are during Sunday night football, in front of the whole world,” Taylor added.

The game marked the first time this season that the Bengals had their top four defensive tackles available after Sheldon Rankins missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, Hill missed two games with a hamstring injury, the second-round pick missed two games after thumb surgery and third round pick McKinnley Jackson sat out the first four games with a knee injury.

With his top four tackles available for the first time and his top four edge rushers available for the second time, Anarumo was able to employ a rotation with all eight defensive linemen playing between 20 and 51 of 74 snaps.

Trey Hendrickson had two sacks, giving him five for the season, putting him in a tie for seventh among league leaders.

But the night was really about Hill, whose seven tackles were just one step shy of his career high. His two quarterback hits were also one step below his career high, and his two passes defended set a new record.

“It was definitely a little emotional,” Hill said of his homecoming. “At the beginning of the match I had to keep my balance. I didn’t want to get too hyped. They did a lot for me in my first three years here. They gave me a chance. And the rest of history.”

Hill made his impact felt immediately – and literally. He hit Daniel Jones as the Giants quarterback was throwing, causing the ball to flutter on New York’s second offensive possession.

And it seemed only fitting that Pratt was the one to pull the ball out of the air at Cincinnati’s three-yard line for the Bengals defense’s only turnover of the night — technically.

The Bengals also came up with two fourth-down stops.

Cornerback Mike Hilton broke up a fourth-and-2 pass to thwart the Giants’ opening drive of the second half at their own 38-yard line.

After three straight fourth-down conversions, New York had fourth-and-2 at the Bengals 36, trailing by three with 3:05 to play.

That’s when Turner, who was earlier assessed a defensive pass interference penalty that gave the Giants the ball at the 1-yard line, setting up their only touchdown, broke up Jones’ pass for Darius Slayton to seal the victory.

“Just a lot of big plays,” Taylor said.

Turner’s play put the finishing touches on killing a dubious streak.

The Bengals had allowed 10 points or more in 75 consecutive games, which was not only the longest active streak, but also the sixth-longest in NFL history.

Everyone on defense had a hand in holding the Giants to seven points.

But no one made more big plays than Hill, who joined New Jersey native and tight end Mike Gesicki as an honorary captain for the game and correctly called the toss to give the Bengals the ball first.

And Hill continued to play a big role until the Cincinnati offense had the ball last and pulled off a key win written by the defense.

“I just wanted to come out today and be dominant and help lead this defense to a great defensive game, and that’s what we did,” Hill said. “We came out and played physical. We had to give up some big plays, but in the end we did our job very well.

“I’m ready to get this thing rolling the right way,” Hill added. “It was a big win for us. We must continue. I’m excited for what’s next.”

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