ANALYSIS: 5 takeaways from Bengals’ win over Giants

Chase Browns’ 30-yard touchdown run with 1:52 left sealed the win, but Cincinnati forced two turnovers on downs, Germaine Pratt added an interception in the first half, and the Giants had two missed field goals in the fourth quarter.

Here are five takeaways from a much-needed win:

1. Defense steps up

Every other opponent this year had scored at least 10 points before halftime, as Cincinnati allowed an average of 14 points in the first half through the first five games. However, the Bengals pitched a first-half shutout Sunday for the first time since Week 16 of the 2022 season against Carolina.

They forced four punts and got the turnover on Pratt’s interception at the 3-yard line on the second drive for the defense.

New York started moving the ball midway through the third quarter and tied the game at 7-7 on a drive that included two fourth-down conversions, but Cincinnati came up with the needed stops down the stretch. B.J. Hill, playing against the team that traded him to the Bengals in 2021, had a pass breakup on third down to force the Giants to try the first of two missed field goals with 10:27 left, then D.J. Turner – in his first start a week after Dax Hill tore his ACL – broke up a fourth-down pass with 3:01 remaining.

2. Disruptive up front

The Giants’ pass rush lived up to its billing as the best in the league, but the Bengals finally looked disruptive on their defensive line and what a difference that made.

This was the first game with everyone available, as Sheldon Rankins returned from a hamstring injury Sunday, a week after B.J. Hill, Myles Murphy and McKinnley Jackson all came back from their own injuries. That full complement proved to be quite the boost.

Hill finished with two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries, and Trey Hendrickson got home for two sacks to go along with three quarterback hurries and two tackles for losses.

Daniel Jones completed just 53.7 percent of his passes for 205 yards and no touchdowns, and the Giants finished with 309 yards of offense.

3. Rough day for the O-line

Burrow was sacked four times but had to throw the ball away on several other occasions when he was being pressured, and he finished below his target of 70 percent completions. He connected on 19 of 28 passes (67.9 percent) for 208 yards and didn’t throw a touchdown, though both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins had some big catches as they combined for 149 yards receiving.

Giants outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari had two sacks, and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence recorded one sack to put him at 7.0 sacks for the season, but defensive end Brian Burns might have been the biggest obstacle for the Bengals’ offense. Burns had one sack, two quarterback hurries and two tackles for losses and caused problems for Cincinnati all night. Even Orlando Brown Jr., who has been solid all season, got beat by Burns.

Left guard Cordell Volson also had a holding penalty that nullified a touchdown late in the third quarter when the Bengals had to settle for a field goal to make it 10-7.

4. Quarterbacks leading rushers

Burrow’s 47-yard touchdown run on the opening drive was unexpected, but it set the tone for both quarterbacks to finish as their team’s leading rusher. Burrow finished with 55 yards rushing on four attempts — two yards more than Chase Brown, who had 10 carries and a touchdown run as well.

Zack Moss, who had a fumble in good field position after a big turnover on downs for the Giants, finished with just 13 yards on six carries. He had been dealing with a foot injury this week in practice. Chase Brown also had a fumble on the final drive but lucked out when the ball rolled out of bounds.

Jones, a capable runner, finished with 56 yards rushing on 11 carries, while rookie Tyrone Tracy had 50 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. The Giants were without top running back Devin Singletary.

Burrow’s touchdown was just the 31st touchdown of at least 47 yards in Bengals history and was the longest by a quarterback.

5. Much-needed win

Logan Wilson said this week he didn’t care what the game looked like, as long as the Bengals got the win. This one wasn’t pretty, but they have badly needed results to start swinging in their favor after an 0-3 start put them in a hole.

At 2-4, Cincinnati is third in the AFC North behind Pittsburgh and Baltimore, who are both 4-2. The Browns, who the Bengals face on the road next week, are just 1-5, but Cincinnati hasn’t won a game in Cleveland since 2017.

The schedule also includes matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles (3-2), Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) and L.A. Chargers (3-2) among the next five games.

SUNDAY’S GAME

Bengals at Browns, 1 p.m., CBS, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7