These 2 plays were Giants’ only defensive mistakes in loss to Bengals

The New York Giants made two defensive mistakes through the Bengals’ first 49 snaps on Sunday night, and those two errors cost them the game.

First, on Cincinnati’s initial drive, the Giants (1-5) overloaded one side of their defense and left half the field open for Joe Burrow to flash his athleticism. Burrow out-sprinted Isaiah Simmons and Jason Pinnock to the pylon, hitting 19.86 mph on the 47-yard touchdown run to put Cincinnati on the board in the first quarter.

Then, on the initial play of a third-quarter drive, Burrow improvised and found himself on the same page with Ja’Marr Chase, hitting a tight window on a breakaway 33-yard strike to set up a field goal.

Thanks to those 10 points and a stellar defensive effort, the Bengals (2-4) had all they needed to leave with a primetime victory. For safe measure, running back Chase Brown busted through a hole late in the game to ice the 17-7 win.

And other than those mistakes, the Giants’ defense gave Cincinnati all it could handle. Linebacker Azeez Ojulari posted two sacks – both on the same second-quarter drive to force a punt — while Brian Burns had another. Sexy Dexter Lawrence also used his massive wingspan to sack Burrow late in the third quarter, forcing Cincinnati to settle for its field goal. Burrow seemed affected by the pressure, having to escape the pocket and resort to check-downs more often than last week.

But Cincinnati’s defense matched the Giants’ effort. Germaine Pratt intercepted Daniel Jones inside the Bengals’ 5-yard line to halt a first-quarter drive — thanks to a tip-assist from B.J. Hill — and the Bengals shut out New York over the first 39 minutes.

“It’s like I was telling people earlier this week,” Pratt said, courtesy of Geoff Hobson, “if our D-linemen show up, and now that they’re healthy, today they showcased. It starts with the D-line. What defense is good without key defensive linemen on the field?”

With those linemen on the field, the Bengals also denied the Giants on a fourth-down conversion and forced a pair of missed field goals, all in the final quarter.

“Fortunately, we were able to lean on the defense today,” said Burrow. “It was great to see them step up like that. They needed that one; we needed that one.”

Cincinnati returns to Ohio for a road game with Cleveland (1-5) on Sunday.