The Cincinnati Bengals are gearing up for a formidable primetime battle as they head to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football. The clash is slated to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET, airing on NBC and Peacock. Here’s a deep dive into what to keep an eye on:
The Bengals vs Giants offense has been firing on all cylinders through the season’s opening weeks, ranking fourth in the league with an impressive average of 28 points per game. Accumulating 140 points thus far—their highest tally since 2018 and the fourth-best start in franchise history—they are showing no signs of slowing down.
In the last three games, Cincinnati has consistently eclipsed 30 points, matching the longest active streak in the NFL alongside the Washington Commanders. If they manage to sustain this offensive momentum and hit 30-plus points again on Sunday, it will mark their first four-game streak of such scoring prowess since the 1997 season.
A key to their success has been the ability to strike quickly after halftime. The Bengals lead the league with 27 points scored on their opening second-half drives, boasting four straight games where they’ve marched down the field for a touchdown immediately after the break.
At the heart of this offensive surge stands quarterback Joe Burrow, who is fresh off a career-defining game against the Baltimore Ravens. Burrow tossed a personal-best five touchdown passes while completing an astonishing 76.6% of his throws, going 30-for-39 for 392 yards. This puts him among an elite group, becoming only the 10th quarterback in NFL history to post 390+ yards, five touchdowns, and a 75% completion rate or higher in a single game.
Burrow’s brilliance continues to rewrite the Bengals’ record books. He moved into fifth place on the team’s all-time passing list, surpassing Jeff Blake’s 15,134 yards. Currently leading the NFL with 12 touchdown passes and boasting a passer rating of 113.6, Burrow also ranks near the top in several categories: second in completions (125), second in completion percentage (72.3), and sixth in passing yards (1,370). His 12 touchdown passes in the opening five games tie a franchise record held by Boomer Esiason, Carson Palmer, and Andy Dalton.
Sunday night will be a reunion of sorts for defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who lines up against his former team for the first time since being traded to Cincinnati from the Giants in 2021. Drafted by New York in the third round in 2018, Hill played 48 games in three seasons with the Giants, recording 7.5 sacks during that span. His standout rookie year saw him notch 5.5 sacks, a number he matched last season with the Bengals.
Since his arrival in Cincinnati, Hill has started in 44 of the 59 games he’s played, including postseason, and enters this matchup on a streak of 42 consecutive starts. After missing Weeks 3 and 4 due to a hamstring injury, he returned in Week 5 and made his presence felt with five tackles, a quarterback hit, and a pass deflection.
Though these two teams have only faced off 11 times, the games have been closely contested affairs. Nine of those matchups were decided by a touchdown or less, with five of the last six being separated by a field goal or fewer points. The Giants have never defeated the Bengals by more than seven points, while Cincinnati holds the two most lopsided victories in the series—a 30-13 win in 1977 at Riverfront Stadium and a 31-13 triumph in 2012 at Paul Brown Stadium.
As the Bengals prepare for this crucial showdown, they’ll look to keep their offensive surge alive while maintaining their dominance in this tightly contested, albeit infrequent, rivalry.