Bengals vs. Giants, where to watch: NFL kickoff time, live stream, odds, prediction for “Sunday Night Football”

The Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants will close out Week 6 of the NFL on Sunday when they face off in prime time at MetLife Stadium.

If someone told you this summer that one of these teams would be 1-4 going into this matchup, the vast majority would probably guess it would be New York, right? Well, Brian Daboll’s club enters Week 6 with a better record – albeit 2-3 – than the Bengals, who were one of the year’s Super Bowl favorites. Instead, Cincy is hoping to turn the tide in this game and try to salvage the season.

Joe Burrow and Co. lost to the Ravens in an overtime shootout last Sunday. Meanwhile, the Giants are coming off an impressive road win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.

Bengals vs Giants where to watch

Date: Sunday, Oct. 13 | Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
TV: NBC | Electricity: fubo (try for free)
Consequences: CBS Sports App
Opportunities: Bengal -3.5; O/U 47 (via SportsLine consensus)

When the Bengals have the ball

Cincinnati’s offense has woken up in recent weeks. Over the last three games entering Week 6, the unit averaged 35 points per game, 417 total yards per game and 6.7 yards per play, all of which ranked second in the entire NFL. A large portion of this increase is due to increased production at Ja’Marr Chase. He leads the NFL in receiving yards (396), yards per reception (20.8) and receiving touchdowns (five) over that stretch.

Meanwhile, Joe Burrow has completed 75% of his passes in the last three games. The Bengals QB should continue to be extremely efficient against a Giants secondary that is allowing opposing quarterbacks to make 71.9% of their throws this season, ranking 29th in the NFL.

Cincinnati’s offense has also been excellent at staying on the field, converting on 47.54% of their third-down opportunities this year. In the red zone, the Bengals score touchdowns on 68.7% of their missions, making them one of the top five offenses in this area of ​​the field.

What has held the Bengals back so far this season has been their defense, which essentially sits in the bottom five heading into Week 6.

When the Giants have the ball

New York will be without star rookie wideout Malik Nabers again this week because he still has a concussion. Although the Giants were able to pick up a win without him last week, it’s a big blow to the offense. Before his demotion, Nabers led the NFL in receptions (35) and was second in the league in receiving yards (386).

Without him against Seattle in Week 5, Daniel Jones leaned heavily on Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson in the passing attack. Slayton led the way with 11 targets, which he converted into eight balls and 122 yards. Meanwhile, Robinson caught six of his nine targets for 36 yards. Each receiver also scored a touchdown. Once again, Jones will likely look forward early and often, especially against a defense that is giving up 5.6 yards per game (which is fifth-highest in the NFL).

While New York wants to attack the Bengals this way, with Jones dropping back to pass, it might be more advantageous to attack the Bengals on the ground. This season, Cincinnati is allowing the third-most rushing yards per game in the NFL (151.4). So this could be another big opportunity for Tyrone Tracy Jr., who rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries last week against the Seahawks. If Devin Singletary is active, he will also factor into this backfield attack.

Key matchup Bengals vs. Giants

The Giants need to prevent a shootout from happening. Asking Daniel Jones to go toe-to-toe with Joe Burrow and his elite pass-catchers isn’t a recipe for success, even at home. As mentioned above, Cincinnati has a fantastic red zone offense, scoring touchdowns on 68.7% of its red zone trips (fifth best in the NFL). To their credit, the Giants’ defense has held strong in the red zone, as their touchdown rate in that area is ninth-best in the league at 45.4%. You’ll need to maintain that level of play – and possibly even exceed it – so things don’t get messed up.

Bengals vs Giants prediction

While Daniel Jones has played better in recent weeks and Cincinnati’s defense has been abysmal so far, it’s hard to ignore the Giants quarterback’s struggles in this prime-time situation. Jones has gone 0-7 straight and 2-5 ATS in primetime home games in his career as a starter. The Bengals have also had problems on the road in prime time in the past, but Burrow appears to be catching fire, and barring a complete breakdown on offense, it might be difficult for New York to match them throw for throw.

Expected score: Bengals 27, Giants 23
The choice: Bengals -3.5