Joe Burrow was not happy after the 17-7 win against the New York Giants. Well, nobody might feel accomplished after a win against the Giants, but Brian Burns made it hard for the QB to make any significant moves tonight. His hit on Burrow left people on a cliffhanger. Luckily, nothing major happened to the QB, and he returned.

But this isn’t so much about Joe Burrow’s injury as it is about the rest of the Cincy offense. It was awful to watch. Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase weren’t their usual selves in the game, and there was no action from the accomplished receivers. A sideline reporter caught up with Burrow after the game to get some answers about the subpar performance at MetLife Stadium.

The reporter asked Burrow to describe the win, and he didn’t sugarcoat the answer. “Ugly, really ugly,” said Burrow. “But we got it done, so…A lot to fix on offense. Defense played great. It’s nice to have one of those games. They stepped up big time today.” Burrow spoke about his 47-yard TD and was surprised because he didn’t imagine it happening.

Coincidentally, Ja’Marr Chase had the same sentiments and also described the win as “ugly.” He was walking around the MetLife field, recording himself saying, “What’s up Cincinnati? Bengals have just left New York with a ugly win, but it’s still a win, so we gon’ take it. Who dey?”

Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase’s connection had been very weak against the Giants. Chase had only 5 receptions for 72 yards and didn’t score on any of them. The situation was similarly disappointing with Tee Higgins as well. Higgins caught all 7 of his targets for 77 yards but was also unable to score on any of those receptions.

Some called the game boring, others just thought it was downright ugly. But Bengals HC Zac Taylor was happy with the win and addressed it in the post-game presser.

Cincinnati Bengals defense for the win

Despite all the praise, the Cincy defense allowed 309 total yards to the New York Giants and gave up just 7 points. It was enough to impress head coach Zac Taylor, who addressed the media after the game. He mentioned how the Giants are a tough team to play but was thankful that the team won in the end.

“It’s always a difficult challenge. They’ve got great players. So, I’m just proud of our team. You know, our defense kept us in that thing the whole game. And then offensively, we were able to finish it out. Our special teams were spectacular at the right times as well. So, we just found a way to go on the road and get one for ourselves. That’s what we really needed,” Taylor said.

Germaine Pratt of the Bengals made a crucial interception late in the first quarter when Daniel Jones tried to throw a pass into the end zone. What was Daniel Jones thinking? He ran the ball to Cincy’s 28-yard line and set up the Bengals offense to do better.

Jones was also sacked twice in the game, both courtesy of Trey Hendrickson, who also recorded two solo tackles, three QB hits, and two tackles for loss. It was a field day for the Bengals’ defense. For the Giants, not so much. The Bengals are now 2-4 and will play against divisional rival, the Cleveland Browns, next.