Joe Burrow isn’t much of a runner. He came into Sunday with only 14 rushes in five games. But on his team’s opening drive he spotted every defender on the left side of the field and took off running to the right.

The end result, a 47-yard touchdown run that puts the Bengals in the lead, 7-0.

The Bengals receive the opening kickoff and will start on their own 31-yard line.

Joe Burrow’s strong production over his past four games has happened even though the Bengals rarely use what has been a quarterback’s best friend for generations — play-action passing.

The Bengals have gained only 122 yards on play-action passes this season, third fewest in the NFL behind only the Jets and Panthers. Cincinnati has found some success passing out of run-pass options, but mostly they’ve asked Burrow to win it for them with his arm. On the season, 80% of his passes have been on target. Seven teams have been more accurate — and one of them is the Giants (82.4%).

The challenge facing the Giants’ defense should feel familiar.

One week after Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf, the NFL’s third-leading receiver in yards, was held to just four catches and 55 yards by the Giants, they now must stop another of the league’s top wideouts to have any chance at winning.

Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase enters with 29 catches (10th in the NFL) for 493 yards (second), an average of 17.0 per reception (tied for eighth). Chase has been targeted 36 times, and only one other Bengal has been targeted more than 21. There is no secret who the Bengals want to throw to. Can New York do anything about it?

Quarterback Joe Burrow lived up to his reputation as a slow starter in Week 1, throwing for only 164 yards without a score. But in four games since, Burrow has been exceptional, averaging 301 yards and a completion percentage of 72% while throwing 12 total touchdowns against only two interceptions.

The question is whether Cincinnati’s defense is up to the task after allowing an average of 34 points per game during its last three games. Its weakness is the run game, where opponents are averaging 151.4 yards per game, the fourth-most yards allowed on average this season.

For the Giants, prime time has equaled a problem. Since 2019, the team is 2-16 in prime-time games. And dating to 2017, it is just 1-10 when playing in prime time at home. They’ll try to buck that streak tonight under the Sunday night spotlight.

Seven teams entered this week allowing fewer than 20 points per game, and New York could join that group with a dominant performance Sunday, having allowed 20.8 per game in its 2-3 start. Its defense hinges on its ability to get pressure: New York’s 22 sacks lead the NFL.

The Bengals have protected quarterback Joe Burrow reasonably well, allowing 11 sacks, which is tied for the 12th-fewest this season. Sacks are nearly the only time opponents have gotten to Burrow, who has faced a league-low 23 pressures, which combines hurries, hits and sacks.

The Bengals’ four losses have come by a combined 15 points.

Two of the Giants’ three losses have come by a total of eight points. They are coming off a win in Seattle last week, however, that was sealed by a late blocked kick, proving an ability to execute late.