Bengals Takeaways: A Standout Defensive Performance
Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
The Cincinnati Bengals have now won two out of their last three games, taking home the victory in a Sunday night defensive battle against the New York Giants. Cincinnati’s 17-7 victory was thanks in large part to long TD runs by Joe Burrow and Chase Brown, in addition to a strong effort by the defense. The win gives the 2-4 Bengals a +5 positive point differential on the season and a winning record on the road. The Bengals will take their momentum into Cleveland next week as they take on a gravely struggling Cleveland Browns team.
What are our top takeaways?
The D-Line Is Coming Together
As they say, games are won and lost in the trenches. In a game against a New York Giants squad leading the league in sacks, the Bengals’ defensive front needed to fight tooth-and-nail to show they could hold their own, and they very much did.
Trey Hendrickson led the way with his second multi-sack game of the year, despite being matched against 2022 Second Team All-Pro tackle Andrew Thomas.
You're not talking about Trey Hendrickson enough
Watch what the former FAU Owl just did to Andrew Thomaspic.twitter.com/J335CcUGQd
— All-22 (@All22_PFF) October 14, 2024
The other leader on the defensive line was former Giant B.J. Hill. Despite not logging a sack on former teammate Daniel Jones, he registered four tackles, two pressures, two QB hits, and two batted passes, one of which landed directly in Germaine Pratt’s breadbasket to thwart a sure scoring drive.
Former N.C. State DT BJ Hill deflects the pass and former Wolfpack linebacker Germaine Pratt comes down with the pick! #PackPros pic.twitter.com/JeG0WjURrg
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) October 14, 2024
The strong defensive line play was a big reason why Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. was limited to under 3 yards per carry. With their depth fully healthy, the Bengals were able to rotate pieces in and keep players fresh as the Giants maintained possession of the football for nearly 57% of the game. This performance in the trenches will provide a huge building block as Lou Anarumo’s defense looks to go to Cleveland and force the Browns’ post-game pressers to once again begin with “Are you benching Deshaun Watson?”
Here’s a final defensive stat for you: Sunday night was the first time in 75 games that the Bengals defense allowed single-digit points.
Joe Burrow’s Dark Horse MVP Case Grows
It’s not every day that you see a legitimate MVP candidate play on a team their quarterback has had to drag kicking and screaming to a 2-4 record. And it’s not often that a quarterback that throws for 208 yards and zero touchdowns (on an offense that scored 17 points, no less) strengthens their MVP case. But once you watch Burrow rip off the longest run by a quarterback in Bengals history, these things make sense.
That’s one of the most incredible plays of Joe Burrow’s career. WOW. pic.twitter.com/VghgJLq9rz
— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) October 14, 2024
Even with Burrow’s throwing arm cooling off after four straight games where he enjoyed a passer rating of over 100, he still effectively managed the game and did not throw a pick for the first time since Week 3. He also showcased his underrated mobility.
“It’s not always going to be perfect,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “But more times than not, he steps up and makes these big plays with those big plays.”
Though he is no longer the NFL’s touchdown leader (he’s second to Baker Mayfield), Burrow remains the NFL’s leader in passer rating and is second in both QBR and completion percentage. If the Bengals can build off of his performance and stack up wins against a soft upcoming schedule, Burrow can easily gain ground on the rest of his NFL counterparts in the MVP race.
The Bengals Finally Made the Fewest Mistakes
Like Taylor mentioned, Cincinnati’s performance on Sunday was not perfect. Their offense lost rhythm and stalled out for the majority of the game. They accumulated six penalties to the Giants’ two. Zack Moss accumulated 13 rushing yards and lost a fumble, which led to New York’s single scoring drive.
However, despite both teams being inefficient on offense throughout the night, the most brutal and game-costing mistakes were entirely made by the Giants. In the Giants’ single red-zone drive in the first half, Daniel Jones threw a costly interception to Pratt.
The second half was even worse for New York, as four of their five drives ended due to missed opportunities. Two of those came via failed 4th-and-2 conversions, and the other two were due to missed field goals, both of which were within 50 yards. In a close game where every point counts, New York left points on the table and gave the Bengals prime opportunities to capitalize on the Giants’ mistakes.
The Bengals very nearly made one of their own near the end of the game, as Chase Brown fumbled and left the ball rumbling down the field. However, New York couldn’t recover the fumble despite multiple golden chances, and Cincinnati maintained possession.
The Giants were 👌🏼 close to securing this Chase Brown fumble with two minutes left, down 10-7. #NFL #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/KrpvQGbEtw
— Vendetta Media (@VendettaVSM) October 14, 2024
One play later, the same player who fumbled the ball sealed the victory for Cincinnati.
CHASE BROWN TOUCHDOWN 😤
Potential dagger for the Bengals
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/aNxco8lEIO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 14, 2024
It was closer than you wanted it to be, perhaps, but after losing close in four games to start the season… we take those. The Bengals season is still alive, and Cincinnati finally has something they can build on.
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