New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Giants-Bengals 'SNF' matchup by the numbers

By Austen Bundy | Last updated 10/13/24

The New York Giants (2-3) will host the Cincinnati Bengals (1-4) on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 6, a matchup that appears to be a battle of the mediocre on paper.

However, the two franchises have a fascinating shared past and if history is any indicator, Sunday's primetime bout could have the makings of an instant classic.

Cincinnati leads the all-time series 6-5, but New York has won three of the last five meetings, with all three Giants victories finishing within a field goal difference.

This will be the first time the two teams meet on "Sunday Night Football" and neither team has an impressive record when featured in the primetime matchup. Cincinnati (4-17) and New York (23-33-1) will be looking to improve upon that poor form.

To murky the predictive waters even further, Cincinnati is 1-16 in primetime games on the road since 2013, but New York is 1-13 in the same time slot with quarterback Daniel Jones under center.

"It's always been fun to coach him because he's a true pro," New York head coach Brian Daboll said of his quarterback, via NBC. "[I] have a lot of confidence in him, how he's playing, how he's preparing...[I] feel comfortable putting the ball in his hands."

Jones has a 3-2 record against the AFC North in his career, with one of those wins coming against Cincinnati in a 19-17 squeaker in 2020. This will be his first head-to-head meeting with Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow.

The biggest difference maker in the head-to-head battle could be how each team follows up its Week 5 performance.

Cincinnati lost a 41-38 heartbreaker to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime after botching what would've been the game-winning field goal.

"I know that there's brighter days ahead in 2024," Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor said, via NBC. "I'm excited to watch these guys rebound and do that."

On the other side, New York pulled off a surprising 29-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks with impressive efforts from Jones and the defense.

However, the Giants pass rush will be without star linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux after he underwent wrist surgery earlier this week. He's now out at least four weeks on injured reserve.

Despite NBC attempting to flex this game out for a seemingly more competitive matchup, these stats indicate the network might be pleasantly surprised by what it gets at MetLife Stadium instead.

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