It’s hard to listen to the angel on my shoulder when the devil is so loud.
The Cincinnati Bengals won.
At the end of the season, we’re not going to look back and remember how they beat the Giants. We’ll remember they won, whether this is the start of a run that leads to something special, or if it’s just one of a handful of wins they were able to squeak out in a lost season.
So that’s what matters the most.
That’s not the end of the article, though.
They won ugly.
If we’re allowed to feel good after a one-point loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City, then we’re allowed to swallow hard after they walked away from the Giants with a win after they did everything they could to lose.
After complaining for five weeks about the team’s defense, they finally showed up, with everyone healthy, and played well on that side of the ball. The offense was missing in action, though.
The Good
The NFL is so prosperous because every team has a shot. The league isn’t as lopsided from the best teams to the worst teams, so even when an undefeated team goes to a win-less team’s home, they’re not guaranteed to walk out with a victory. Winning on the road in the NFL is hard, especially when you’re under the lights, and the team you’re playing against has nothing to lose.
The Giants know they don’t have the offense to compete in the NFC East. We all saw Hard Knocks this summer. They had a better record than the Bengals heading into Sunday Night Football, but their season outlook is much different than the Bengals, mainly because of the expectations heading into the season.
The Giants are who we thought they were. The Bengals aren’t.
So yeah, it isn’t lost on me, and it shouldn’t be lost on you, that they won on the road under the lights. All the pressure was on them, and they didn’t crack.
This was a gutsy win. We’ve seen the Bengals offense score 30-plus points multiple times in a show of finesse few offenses could match. They lost those games.
This time, they got down and dirty. It was a gut-check kind of game, especially in the fourth quarter, and they came out victorious. It may not have been pretty, but a tally still goes in the win column.
I also think it’s important to stress how good the Giants defensive front is. Just saying the offense sucked takes away from how good that team’s defense is. That’s something we should keep in mind too.
The Not-So-Good
The Bengals have yet to put together a complete game. In weeks their offense has exploded, the defense couldn’t get a stop if they were allowed to play with 15 men. Now, when the defense shows up, the offense couldn’t figure out how to put points on the board.
The Giants defense is good, yes, but the combination of Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, along with the offensive line the franchise bought, should be good to put up 30 or more points on a weekly basis. That’s what this team was built to do, score a lot of points, and if that’s suddenly going to become an issue then they’re in trouble.
Of course, we’ve seen more good than bad from the Bengals offense, so there’s no reason to think this will be a trend, but it would be nice to see a good game from the offense AND the defense.
It’s not like the Giants defense was an unbreakable wall on Sunday night, either. There were plenty of self-inflicted wounds from the offense. Both running backs fumbled, and it was just sheer luck that Chase Brown’s happened to get knocked out of bounds.
Mike Hilton broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Wan’Dale Robinson on the Giants’ own 38-yard line, giving Burrow and the offense the ball in prime position and a chance to take a two-score lead in the second half. Three plays later, Moss’ fumble turned into a 17-play Giants touchdown drive that took over six minutes off the clock and tied the game at seven.
That fumble represents at least a 10-point swing for the Bengals. They likely score a touchdown or, at a minimum, settle for a field goal after the Giants’ gift. The offense can’t win if they’re going to give those gifts right back.
Next time, they won’t be lucky enough to be playing the Giants.
This time, they were, and they won despite themselves.
Some random thoughts on the game:
- Having a fully healthy defensive line made such a huge difference last night. Sheldon Rankins showed some of his pass-rushing ability, and BJ Hill had an amazing game.
- The secondary made some good plays, and CTB, DJ Turner, and Mike Hilton all made a handful of big plays in coverage.
- The pass rush was pressuring Jones and they did it without a ton of extra pressure being sent by Lou Anarumo.
- Every time Chase Brown has the ball in his hands, it seems there’s breakout potential. He is so explosive, and if he just gets going, he’d be tough to stop. He out-carried Moss 10 to six. I imagine that will continue.
- Moss was a better pass blocker than Brown, but, according to PFF, not by much.
- Chase doesn’t drop that third-down pass very often, if ever again.
- Higgins can do it all. He can stretch the field. He can high point a pass as good as any receiver in the league, and he can gain the tough yards. When Chase was being blanketed, Higgins stepped up with multiple first-down receptions.
- There were only two catches by tight ends on Sunday night against the Giants. Both were Erick All’s.
- If the offense looks like they did against the Ravens/Commanders, and the defense looks like they did against the Giants, the season is far from over.
- There were a lot of rumblings online when it was announced that Jermaine Burton was a healthy scratch and the team opted to go with Trenton Irwin instead. Burton has one reception on the season. I don’t he’s a big enough part of the offense to be concerned when he doesn’t play, at least not right now.
- The Bengals defense did a good job limiting the explosive plays this week. The Giants’ longest play was a 15-yard pass.
- Ryan Rehkow punted well, and Tycen Anderson was fantastic in coverage. It’s nice to see Anderson able to contribute during the season for a change.
Relevant Song Lyrics:
Hey baby
There ain’t no easy way out (I won’t back down)
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down
