The Cincinnati Bengals defense takes its turn and wins a game.

Best friends and college roommates BJ Hill and Germaine Pratt once made a social media post recreating Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's pose from Step Brothers.

Maybe Hill's next creation should feature him and Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in tuxedos at homecoming.

Because that's exactly what Sunday night was for Anarumo, who coached the Giants' defensive backs in 2018, and Hill, who spent three seasons with the team before joining the Bengals in 2021.

In fact, the most fitting recreation would be Hill and Anarumo dressed as priests, because Sunday night's 17-7 win over the Giants felt like an exorcism.

A Bengals defense that was largely responsible for the team's 1-4 start left MetLife Stadium largely responsible for the season-saving win.

“Our goal on defense is to win the game once we score,” Hill said. “Whether the defense is scoring or the offense is scoring, that always has to be our mindset. They (the offense) scored, gave us enough points to win the game and that’s exactly what we did.”

Anarumo's defense had allowed 29 points per game through five weeks, ranking 31st in the league.

On Sunday night, they defeated the Giants in the first 39 minutes and 12 seconds – and then again for the rest of the game after New York running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. scored a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7 had.

For a while, it looked like “Freaky Friday” would be the most appropriate movie poster to connect to the game, as it featured Joe Burrow and one of the league's top offenses other than the quarterback's 47-yard touchdown run had no answer at the culmination of the first drive of the game.

“It was great to see our defense step up like that,” Burrow said. “They have taken a lot of heat over the last few weeks, but today they played great.”

That was the first of five greetings Burrow addressed to Anarumo's group.

Head coach Zac Taylor also praised the way the group played.

“I think you can name a lot of guys on this defense that have really stepped up,” he said. “A resilient group that does things the right way believes in each other and what we do. That's what I expect from these guys.

“So this was a great opportunity for them to show who they are to the world at Sunday Night Football,” Taylor added.

The game marked the first time this season that the Bengals had their top four defensive tackles available after Sheldon Rankins missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, Hill missed two games with a hamstring injury, and the second-round pick missed one Thumb surgery missed two games and third-round pick McKinnley Jackson had to miss the first four games with a knee injury.

With his top four tackles for the first time and his top four edge rushers for the second time, Anarumo was able to employ a rotation in which all eight defensive linemen played between 20 and 51 of the 74 snaps.

Trey Hendrickson had two sacks, giving him five sacks for the season, which tied him for seventh among league leaders.

But the night was really about Hill, whose seven tackles were just one shy of his career high. His two quarterback hits were also just one away from his career high, and his two passes defensed set new standards.

“It was definitely a little emotional,” Hill said of his homecoming. “I had to keep my composure at the start of the game. I didn't want to get too caught up in the hype. You did a lot for me in my first three years here. They gave me a chance. And the rest of the story.”

Hill made his impact felt immediately – in the truest sense of the word. He hit Daniel Jones while the Giants quarterback was throwing, causing the ball to fumble on New York's second offensive possession.

And it seemed only fitting that Pratt was the one who snatched the ball out of the air at the Cincinnati 3-yard line for the Bengals defense's only turnover of the night – technically speaking.

The Bengals also had two fourth-down stops.

Cornerback Mike Hilton broke off a fourth-and-2 pass to thwart the Giants' opening drive of the second half at their own 38-yard line.

Then, after three consecutive fourth-down conversions, New York had fourth-and-2 at the Bengals' 36 and trailed by three with 3:05 to play.

Then Turner, who previously had a defensive pass interference penalty that gave the Giants the ball at the 1-yard line and set up their only touchdown, broke up Jones' pass to Darius Slayton to seal the win.

“Just a lot of big plays,” Taylor said.

Turner's play put the finishing touches to the end of a dubious streak.

The Bengals had allowed 10 points or more in 75 consecutive games, which was not only the longest active streak but also the sixth-longest in NFL history.

Everyone on defense contributed to the Giants scoring seven points.

But no one made more big plays than Hill, who served as the game's honorary captain along with New Jersey tight end Mike Gesicki and correctly called the coin toss to give the Bengals the ball first.

And Hill continued to play a big role until Cincinnati's offense was the last to have the ball, preventing the defense from scoring a key victory.

“I just wanted to come out today and be dominant and help lead this defense to a great defensive game, and we did that,” Hill said. “We came out and played physical. We gave up some big plays, but at the end of the day we did a very good job.

“I’m ready to really get things going,” Hill added. “It was a big win for us. We have to move on. I’m excited to see what comes next.”

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