A much-needed night from the defense.
The Cincinnati Bengals went in to New York Jersey with their backs against the wall on Sunday Night Football, looking to avoid a 1-5 start against the New York Giants. When the clock hit 0:00, Cincinnati left with a much-needed 17-7 win.
It was a strong night for some and a bad night for others. Let’s take a look at the winners and losers of this season-saving victory in primetime.
Winners:
Joe Burrow: Burrow started the game hot… with his legs. On the Bengals’ opening drive, Burrow scrambled until he saw a hole in the Giants’ defense and took off for a 47-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career. That was the majority of the spark for the offense, as Burrow finished with a stat line of 19-of-28 for 208 yards and no touchdowns. Each yard felt like pulling teeth, as he was under pressure all night. With 57 rushing yards, Burrow was the Bengals’ leading rusher before
Cam Taylor-Britt: After an up-and-down start to the season, Taylor-Britt had a very good night Sunday. Taylor-Britt started early with a great open-field tackle to bring the Giants player down on their first drive of the night, forcing a punt. Taylor-Britt was strong in coverage throughout the night. “CTB” finished with seven solo tackles and was credited with a pass defense.
Sam Hubbard: Hubbard seems to be rounding into shape after a slow start to the season. Hubbard deflected a pass, showed the strong run defense we’ve come to expect from him, and appeared to be more confident in the ankle he had offseason surgery on. Hubbard finished with four tackles (one solo) and the pass defensed.
Germaine Pratt: Pratt secured the Bengals’ lone turnover on the night, picking off Daniel Jones with the Giants in the red zone. Jones was hit as he threw, causing the ball to hand in the air before falling into Pratt’s arms. Pratt finished with seven tackles (five solo), an interception, and another pass defensed.
BJ Hill: Hill was the pressure that caused the interception that Pratt hauled in. Playing his old team, Hill made his presence known throughout the contest. Hill is the Bengals’ primary run stuffer, but he was also able to get pressure on Jones a few times and force him to get rid of the ball early. Hill’s final stat line included seven tackles (three solo), and he was credited with defending two passes.
Trey Hendrickson: As we’ve grown to expect this season, the Bengals’ only sacks came from Hendrickson. His two sacks were his only two tackles of the night, but he continues to be the only Bengal who can get the quarterback on the ground.
Tycen Anderson: Anderson has been great on special teams all season, and he shined again on Sunday night. On two straight punts, Anderson was in perfect position to hit the Giants’ returner as soon as he caught the ball, leading to no return yardage. Limiting the hard-fought yardage was crucial for Cincinnati.
DJ Turner: While Turner had some tough moments tonight, including a questionable PI call that led to the Giants’ only score, the second-year cornerback also made what was effectively the game-winning play when he batted down a pass on fourth down late in the final quarter to preserve a 10-7 lead.
Losers:
Alex Cappa: Toward the end of the first half, the Bengals had the ball with a chance to score. That was, until a stunt by the Giants’ defensive line totally confused Cappa, and a defender ran clean to Burrow, sacking him and ultimately ending the drive.
Zack Moss: The Bengals defense forced a turnover on downs after the Giants went for it on fourth down, giving the Bengals the ball at New York’s 37-yard line. In prime position to score and take a double-digit lead, Moss fumbled, and the Giants recovered.
Cordell Volson: On a tough day for the offensive line overall, Volson had one of the bigger miscues of the night. Chase Brown scampered in for a touchdown run, only for it to be negated by a hold. After the 10-yard penalty, the Bengals would go on to settle for a field goal.
