In many ways, the Week 6 edition of “Sunday Night Football” felt more like a Big Ten college football game: strong defensive efforts, impressive moments from both rushing offenses and plenty of punts.
The Cincinnati Bengals were able to grind out a 17-7 win over the New York Giants following that formula. Between the two teams, there were 10 punts and two missed field goals – both from the Giants. All three touchdowns in the game were on the ground – a 47-yard scramble score from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, a 1-yard rush from Giants running back Tyrone Tracy and a 30-yard run from the Bengals’ Chase Brown taking advantage of busted run defense.
“Ugly … real ugly,” Burrow said of the win after the game.
Burrow finished the game 19-of-28 for 208 yards, with no passing touchdowns or interceptions. Daniel Jones was 22-of-41 passing for 205 yards and one interception.
Defensively, Bengals DT B.J. Hill starred with two pass deflections and two QB hits against his former team. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson also recorded two sacks.
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Cincinnati and New York both move to 2-4 after the game as they head into their respective divisional games in Week 7.
The Bengals will face the Cleveland Browns next week, while the Giants take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Trailing by 10, New York tried to go for a field goal on second down after entering Cincinnati territory with the clock winding down late in the fourth quarter. The wise coaching decision did not pay off. For the second time in the game, Greg Joseph’s kick hooked wide left, giving the Bengals the ball back with under a minute left, sealing the Giants’ loss.
Cincinnati wins, 17-7.
Giants kicker Graham Gano is eligible to come off injured reserve as early as next week.
One play after nearly costing his team by fumbling, the Bengals’ running back breaks through the line to a wide-open second level. He sprinted the remaining 25 yards for what was, in total, an almost-untouched, 30-yard touchdown run.
Evan McPherson’s PAT extends Cincinnati’s lead to 17-7 with under two minutes left in the game.
Giants linebacker Micah McFadden forced a fumble from running back Chase Brown after a big gain, but no player was able to get possession before the ball ended up out of bounds. It’s still Cincinnati’s ball in New York territory as the game hits the two-minute warning.
The Bengals are driving and still lead, 10-7.
The Giants went for it on fourth down for a fifth time in the game. This time, on fourth-and-2 from the Cincinnati 36-yard line, Daniel Jones threw a pass behind Darius Slayton, who was running a slant route. Bengals cornerback D.J. Turner was able to knock the ball away and get his team the ball back with three minutes remaining in the game.
Cincinnati still leads, 10-7.
The Bengals’ signal-caller took a hard hit from Giants defender Brian Burns on the final offensive play of Cincinnati’s last possession. The Bengals’ medical personnel had him evaluated in the blue medical tent for a moment, but NBC’s broadcast showed Burrow walking back to the sideline shortly thereafter. He was under center the Bengals’ next possession.
The Giants were able to maintain an offensive drive to the Cincinnati 28-yard line before stalling. For the first time in the game, New York sent out its field goal unit on fourth down, but Greg Joseph’s 47-yard attempt sailed wide left of the uprights.
It’s still 10-7 Cincinnati with 10 and a half minutes to play in the game.
The Giants ran just one play on their ensuing possession — a 15-yard screen pass to rookie tight end Theo Johnson — before the third quarter ended. They’ll have the ball with a first down on their own 30-yard line to begin the fourth quarter.
The Bengals lead 10-7.
One play after an apparent rushing touchdown was nullified by an offensive holding call, the Giants’ star defensive tackle broke through the Bengals’ pass protection for his seventh sack of the season. The play brought up fourth down and forced Cincinnati to settle for a 37-yard field goal attempt.
Evan McPherson’s first attempt of the game split the uprights to give the Bengals a 10-7 lead with under a minute remaining in the third quarter.
According to the Giants, Slayton had been flagged for a potential concussion after he hit his head on the ground on New York’s scoring drive. He has since been evaluated and cleared to return.
The wide receiver broke free of cornerback Cor’Dale Flott’s coverage downfield for just a brief moment. It was enough for him to haul in Joe Burrow’s pass for a 33-yard gain — the second-most explosive play of the game behind Burrow’s 47-yard touchdown scramble.
The Bengals have put together a response to New York’s scoring drive. They made it into the red zone just a few plays after Chase’s big catch.
The Giants took advantage of the fumble recovery and a pass interference call in the end zone. They strung together a 16-play, 79-yard drive that included two converted fourth down plays, capped off by their first score of the game. Tracy had 39 yards from scrimmage on the drive and pounded the ball into the end zone to finish off the long scoring drive.
After Greg Joseph’s PAT, the score is tied, 7-7, and the Bengals will take over with just under six minutes left in the third quarter.
One possession after a fourth-down attempt failed, New York once again went for it on fourth down from inside its own territory. This time, running back Tyrone Tracy converted the first down on a speed-option play to the right side. The Giants retain possession with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter.
New York went for it on fourth-and-2 from its own 38-yard line, but an incomplete pass from Daniel Jones intended for Wan’Dale Robinson gave Cincinnati the ball back with a short field.
The Bengals quickly squandered their prime opportunity to score, however. Three plays after taking possession, linebacker Bobby Okereke punched the ball out from the hands of running back Zack Moss, and fellow linebacker Micah McFadden jumped on it. The Giants take the ball back on their own 21-yard line.
Two and a half minutes into the second half, it’s still 7-0 Cincinnati.
There has not been much offense in this week’s “Sunday Night Football” game. Every possession in the second quarter ended with a punt, so the score remains 7-0 Bengals at the end of the first half. Joe Burrow’s long scramble touchdown is still the only score.
Joe Burrow’s 47-yard scramble touchdown is the sole score on “Sunday Night Football” through 15 minutes of action. The Giants will open the second quarter with the ball as Cincinnati punts for the second time in the game.
Defensive tackle B.J. Hill applied quick pressure on Jones on New York’s first play in the red zone. The quarterback was unable to get a throw off before Hill affected the pass, which left a jump ball floating in the air above the heads of several Bengals defenders. In the end, it was Pratt who came down with it.
Pratt’s pick immediately ends the Giants’ red zone threat, and Cincinnati will now take over at its own 27-yard line.
With the Bengals backed up within their own 15-yard line on third down, Ojulari got off the line fast and had Burrow wrapped up inside the Cincinnati 5. However, the outside linebacker didn’t complete the tackle to secure the sack. It allowed the Bengals’ quarterback to roll out and throw the ball away.
NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth speculated that Ojulari was worried about getting a penalty on the play, which would explain why he inexplicably let go of the quarterback in the middle of making a tackle.
A few plays into the Bengals’ first drive of the night, their gunslinger found an outside lane on the right side and broke away for a 47-yard rushing touchdown on third-and-18. It opened the night’s scoring by giving Cincinnati an early 7-0 lead.
The Giants vs. Bengals “Sunday Night Football” matchup will get underway at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Bengals travel to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to take on the Giants.
The game will air on NBC and Peacock. The game is also available to stream on Fubo.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst) will be on the call, with Melissa Stark adding reports from the field for NBC.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Giants vs. Bengals “Sunday Night Football” matchup will shake out:
The Bengals are favorites to defeat the Giants, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024, including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.
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It’s going to be a cool, cloudy night in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a high of 68 degrees and a low of 66 degrees during the game. According to the Weather Channel, winds will max out at 5 mph, and chances of precipitation are steady at 15% for the entirety of the game.
The Giants will be without their rising star rookie wideout for their Week 6 matchup vs. the Bengals. Nabers was ruled out as he’s still dealing with concussion symptoms after he suffered one in Week 4. This will be the second straight game that he will miss.
New York placed pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux on injured reserve as he recovers from wrist surgery. Thibodeaux, who was drafted in 2021, has two sacks in the 2024 season.
The NFL’s top 18 players in average annual salary are all quarterbacks, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the league’s highest-paid player this year, agreeing to a four-year, $240 million deal. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the first non-quarterback on the highest-paid list after striking a four-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason.
The No. 1 team on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” will stay intact, at least for the foreseeable future.
According to a report from The Athletic, NBC Sports is close to securing a new four-year contract extension with top analyst Cris Collinsworth. The extension will keep him with the network through the 2029-30 season. His current contract runs through the 2026 season.
NBC is scheduled to broadcast two more Super Bowls in the next six years, including Super Bowl 60 in 2026 and Super Bowl 64 in 2030.
Collinsworth, 65, has won seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Studio Analyst. He makes about $12.5 million a year and has teamed up with Mike Tirico to call games.
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