Giants and Bengals are both trying to overcome slow starts heading into a Sunday night showdown

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Getting off to a slow start really isn't that surprising when it comes to the New York Giants, who have made the playoffs once since 2016.

The Cincinnati Bengals are another story.

They went to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season and were 12-4 the following year and lost the AFC title game. Cincinnati missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record last season. So 1-4 this year is a bit stunning.

The Bengals and Giants (2-3) will both try to get back on track Sunday night when they play a prime-time game at MetLife Stadium.

“We’re five games into the season,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “I know what the noise is. We’re 1-4, and so we’re accountable for all of that. It’s not good enough.”

The last time the Bengals had a worse record after five games was in 2019, Taylor's first season. They lost their first 11 games and finished 2-14. It earned them the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft and quarterback Joe Burrow. And it turned the franchise around.

“We have too much talent on this team to be in the position we’ve found ourselves in right now,” Taylor said. “But all we can do focusing forward is, how do we beat the New York Giants?”

The Giants, who went 6-11 last season, have improved after a dismal performance in the season opener against Minnesota. They are coming off a win at Seattle and could be 3-2 had they not given away a game against the Commanders in Week 2.

New York also is looking to win at home for the first time in three games.

“We want to win every game and play well every game,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “It doesn’t change when it is or where it is.”

The same can be said for both teams.

In contrast to the defense, Cincinnati’s offense is rolling along just fine, scoring 30 points or more for the third straight game in a 41-38 loss to Baltimore.

Burrow threw for 392 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, including two each to star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals’ 359 yards per game is ninth best in the NFL. However, the defense is 26th in yards surrendered per game (365.4).

Over the past three games, the Giants have averaged 35 minutes in time of possession.

In the win over the Seahawks, New York held the ball for 37:22, outgained Seattle 420 yards to 333 and had a big advantage in total plays: 71-58. It's one way to keep an opposing offense at bay.

“We can't give him an easy read,” outside linebacker Brian Burns said when asked what the defense has to do against Burrow. “We need to make him hold the ball. If you keep it simple for him, he can definitely tear you up and make our pass rush nonexistent.”

Despite being double-teamed almost every play, tackle Dexter Lawrence is the focal point of the Giants' defense.

He had a career-high three sacks last weekend and has six this season. New York leads the NFL with 22 sacks.

Giants defensive coordinator Sahane Bowen called Lawrence one of the NFL's best interior rushers.

“He’s a handful,” Bowen said. “I know if I was the offensive coordinator, I wouldn’t want to leave him one on one too often. That’s our job as coaches, is to find ways to put these guys in the best position to find success, to find ways to impact the game for us.”

One of the problems with the Bengals' defense is injures. The latest blow was the loss of starting cornerback Dax Hill, who tore his ACL last week against the Ravens.

Hill was moved from safety to cornerback before the season. Veteran cornerback Mike Hilton is battling a knee injury that kept him out of last week’s game. Defensive tackle B.J. Hill returned last week after being out with a hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is still sidelined with a hamstring injury. Defensive end Cam Sample’s season was lost when he tore an Achilles tendon in training camp.

It's going to be interesting to see how both teams handle the receivers. The Bengals present a 1-2 punch with Chase and Higgins. The Giants have had second-year cornerback Deonte Banks traveling with the opposition's top receiver, which probably would be Chase. That would leave Cor'Dale Flott or Nick McCloud on Higgins.

With rookie sensation and NFL leading receiver Malik Nabers (35 catches) out for the second straight game with a concussion, the Bengals' task will be easier. The Giants will rely on Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt and rookie tight end Theo Johnson, who had five catches last weekend. He had only three previous catches.

AP Sports Writer Mitch Stacy contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) celebrates his long touchdown reception with wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) gestures in front of Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) following a play during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs with football as New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) tries to tackle during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) jogs off the field at halftime of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, center, reacts while talking to official Mark Perlman (9) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) celebrates after sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The Israeli military on Saturday renewed its orders for Palestinian in the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and shelters as troops press on a weeklong offensive against militants.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee told people to leave parts of Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and other areas in and around Jabaliya, the urban refugee camp where Israeli forces carried out several major operations over the course of the war and then returned as militants regroup.

In a post on X, Adraee asked people to head south to Muwasi, a packed area in southern Gaza designed by the military as a humanitarian zone.

Most of the fighting in the past week was centered in and around Jabaliya that was pounded by Israeli war jets and artillery. Residents said they have been trapped inside their homes and shelters. The military also ordered the three main hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate patients and medical staff.

In Lebanon, authorities said Friday that 60 people were killed and 168 wounded in the past 24 hours, raising the total toll over the past year of conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah to 2,229 dead and 10,380 wounded.

Israel has been escalating its campaign against Hezbollah with waves of heavy airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion at the border, after a year of exchanges of fire. Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hamas' ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were fighters but say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, often multiple times.

It's been a full year since Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed into army bases and farming communities, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. They are still holding about 100 captives inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Here is the latest:

CAIRO — The Israeli military on Saturday renewed orders for Palestinian in the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and shelters amid a week of intense fighting with militants there.

Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli military, told people that the area includes parts of Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and other parts in and around Jabaliya, the urban refugee camp.

In a post on X, Adraee asked people living there to head south to Muwasi, a packed area in southern Gaza designed by the military as a humanitarian zone.

Most of past week fighting centered in and around Jabaliya with Israeli war jets and artillery pounding the area. People there said they have been trapped inside their homes and shelters. The military also ordered the three main hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate patients and medical staff.

Cyclists ride on a car-free highway during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Kamal Khatib, a volunteer with the Animals Lebanon rescue group, kisses kittens after rescuing them from debris of destroyed buildings at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Lebanese women pass near destroyed cars, at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Rescue workers search for victims at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Women react in front of their destroyed apartment at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)