EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ In the wake of the Bengals' old-school slugfest of a 17-7 win over the Giants carved out of a stubborn defensive effort at MetLife Stadium Sunday night, defensive end Sam Hubbard saluted it as the "B.J. Hill Revenge Game"
But Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow simply called it "a game we really needed."
"It was great to see the defense step up like that," said Burrow, who said he played below his standards but played better than his numbers that spit out 19-of-28 for 208 yards. "They've been taking some heat the last couple weeks, but they played awesome today."
After taking a shot on a third-down incompletion late in the game and the Bengals nursing a 10-7 lead, Burrow went to the medical tent to get checked for a concussion, symbolic of how tough it was to get out of Jersey with their first ever road win over the Giants.
"News to me. I felt fine I just had the wind knocked out of me," Burrow said.
But on the next third down and needing 12 yards with the two-minute drill beckoning, Burrow rolled to his left to avoid the incessant New York rush that stalked him all night. He threw a vicious whip across his body for 29 yards and wide receiver Andrei Iosivas’ toe-tap sideline completion.
That set up running back Chase Brown’s 30-yard touchdown burst up the middle to seal it with 1:52 left.
It was the epitome of determination. Until that point, Brown and running back Zack Moss had run for a combined 36 yards; fewer than Burrow's 47-yard scramble for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game.
"It was a great adjustment. Frank is a veteran coach, and he saw something during the game" said center Ted Karras of offensive line coach and run game coordinator Frank Pollack.
Pollack put in the adjustment before that series. It was a zone concept where Chase basically hit one of the back-side inside gaps, and it was a home run. Head coach Zac Taylor said it was a play they ran often during training camp and the season, but it wasn't in Sunday's game plan.
Karras handled two-time Giants Pro Bowl tackle Dexter Lawrence well enough that "I was untouched" Brown said
REDEMPTION PLUS
With the Bengals clinging to that 10-7 lead and 3:01 left, cornerback D.J. Turner saved the day on fourth-and-two from his 36 when he batted away quarterback Daniel Jones' pass over the middle headed to wide receiver Darius Slayton. It was not long after Turner had been called for interfering with Slayton in the end zone. One play later, the Giants scored their only touchdown to tie the game at seven with 5:36 left in the third quarter.
"I forgot about it. I don't remember it. I forgot about it right after it happened," Turner said "It has to be next play."
The next play turned out to be the biggest play: the fourth-and-two. It was the fifth time the Giants went for it on fourth down and for the second time, they failed.
"A drag route," Turner said. "It was man-to-man and I knew I had to stay on him."
It didn't take that long for Chase Brown to get redemption. Try one play. He fumbled after ripping off a seven-yard run to the Giants 30, but the ball slithered through some enemy hands before it went out-of-bounds.
Brown admitted he held the next one a little tighter.
"Sure, I was thinking about it a little," said Brown on a very weird night where he got outrushed by Burrow, 55 to 53 yards. "I was thinking, 'Respond, respond, respond. Be calm."
KING OF THE HILL
First, B.J. Hill was named a game captain for the return to play his team where he spent his first three seasons. Then, he went out and dominated them at defensive tackle with seven tackles and two hits on old friend Daniel Jones.
And how huge were his two deflections? One popped in the air to best friend Germaine Pratt inside the Giants 5 for a pick. The other came on third down and set up a missed field goal.
"Hit me straight in the face;" Hill said; "Two guys on me, I was just trying to get my hands up.
"A little emotional at the beginning. I knew I had to control my emotions. Spent three great years here. It's been four years since I've been back. Special place here in my heart. They gave me an opportunity. They drafted me. And to come in here to get a win means a lot to me."
BURROW's NYC MARATHON
About Burrow's 47-yard run, his version of the New York City Marathon, the longest touchdown run ever by a Bengals quarterback. Taylor said Burrow had two pass plays called on third-and-18, but when he saw the coverage, he wasted no time.
"We do that on third down," said Burrow, who saw nobody down the right side.
Asked if he felt the safety before he stretched on the pylon, he said, "I knew he wasn't going to catch me. I was going to be able to get in there. That was a good play. One of my few good plays on the day."
His longest run since when? He had to laugh. He went back to third or fourth grade with coach Sam Smathers in Athens, Ohio.
"Seventy, 80 yards," Burrow said. "They couldn't stop the quarterback sneak."
SPECIAL AGAIN
Talk about redemption. Rookie punter Ryan Rehkow claimed the NFL punting lead last week in the same game he dropped the snap on the potential winning field goal in overtime against Baltimore. But he came out roaring despite a 46.3-yard gross and 42.8 net, several yards below his average.
But that's what this game demanded. He knocked four inside the 20 while gunner Tycen Anderson racked up two more teams' tackles. Of Rehkow's six punts, two were returned for a combined yard. The Giants' Greg Joseph missed two field goals while the Bengals' Evan McPherson made his only attempt, a go-ahead 37-yarder in the last minute of the third quarter.
