If desperation hasn't necessarily taken hold in Week 6 of the NFL season, then it isn't far away for the league's struggling teams either.

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of those teams. Coming into Sunday Night Football on NBC with a record of 1-4, their margin for error to recover and make the playoffs was slim to say the least.

With a 17:7 away win against the New York Giants, the Bengals retained their underdog role in the postseason. And it wasn’t because of their normally high-powered offense. Instead, the victory came from defense, which was usually the cause of the team's problems.

After allowing 10 or more points in 75 consecutive games, Cincinnati broke the streak, holding New York to points on just one of its 10 drives. Giants QB Daniel Jones barely completed half of his passes (22 of 41) while throwing one interception.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also felt uncomfortable for most of the evening, despite having been one of the league's most productive quarterbacks the previous month. After being sacked 12 times in five games, the Giants sacked him four times on Sunday alone.

But Burrow made perhaps the decisive throw of the night with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter when he scrambled left toward third-and-12 and threw across his body for a 29-yard gain. Two plays later, the Bengals scored the game-winning touchdown with running back Chase Brown's 30-yard run.

The Bengals next face the Cleveland Browns on the road in a week. The Giants stay at home – where they are 0-3 this season – and host the Philadelphia Eagles.