EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Dexter Lawrence and Daniel Jones were collegiate opponents for one game, Clemson's 35-6 victory against Duke on Nov. 17, 2018. Jones threw for 158 yards and was sacked four times, though not at all by Lawrence, who recorded four tackles in the game.

The following year, the Giants selected both players in the first round of the NFL Draft, Jones at No. 6 overall and Lawrence at No 17. They were roommates in their rookie training camp and have been friends ever since.

Lawrence has been a vocal and consistent supporter of the Giants' quarterback, after performances both terrific and, well, not-so-good. Last week in Seattle, the defense recorded seven sacks and stymied the Seahawks' offense for virtually the entire game in a 29-20 victory. In the postgame locker room, Lawrence praised Jones, who threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 38 yards on 11 carries, and had no turnovers.

"He was throwing (and) just his confidence and his flow, he controlled the game, you know what I mean?" Lawrence said. "That's what he's got to do as a quarterback, and he did that today and he helped the defense eat. When he was in his groove,I was telling the defense, 'We have to feed off his energy.' That's what we did and came out with the win.

"I think he's flowing right now, and I think he's playing his best ball as a Giant. It's a compliment to the O-line for protecting him, and the receivers for getting open for him. He's strongminded, and I've seen that from him since the beginning. That's just who he is. He's a strong dude."

This season, Jones has completed 64% of his passes and has an86.3 passer rating. He has thrown for six touchdowns and three interceptions. But that last number is misleading. Since Jones was intercepted twice in the season-opening loss to Minnesota, he has thrown just one pick, on a desperation bomb with five seconds remaining against Dallas. In three of the last four games, including the Giants' victories in Cleveland and Seattle, he has tossed two touchdown passes without an interception. Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield is the only other NFL quarterback with three such games this season.

Jones and the Giants have proven they can win on the road, but have yet to do so at home, losing to the Vikings and Cowboys. For the second straight season, they did not score a touchdown in either of their first two home games. How can they fix that tonight against the Cincinnati Bengals?

"I think being efficient in the red zone and taking advantage of our opportunities," Jones said. "I think that's something that you're always trying to do well, is the situational football stuff, and definitely a point of emphasis for us."

For the first of two times this season, the Giants will play consecutive home games when they host the Bengals and NFC East rival Philadelphia. With a victory on Sunday Night Football, the 2-3 Giants will be at .500 for the first time since they were 1-1 last year.

The Giants have had a winning record in MetLife Stadium just once in the previous seven seasons (5-3-1 in 2022). Jones will make this 65th career regular season start tonight. He is 12-20-1 in MetLife Stadium (including one loss as a visitor to the Jets) and 12-19 in the other 19 stadiums in which he's made at least one start.

"I think the football field is the same and it's about going out and playing well, regardless of where you are," Jones said. "So, I'm excited to get out there. I think we all are. It should be an awesome atmosphere for football.

"I'm excited to play at home. I'm excited to get in front of the fans and looking forward to the opportunity."

The Giants are 2-16 in their last 18 regular season prime time games, including 1-3 on Sundays. Jones responds with a big picture answer when asked about winning at night.

"I think we've got to win more games," he said. "You look at the past, over the years, we haven't won enough, period. So, to say primetime or not, I think we've got to win. We know we've got to win and play well. I'm confident. I'm excited for the opportunity. I think we all are."

Although they're 1-4, the Bengals would present a formidable challenge no matter what time the game is played.

Cincinnati has one of the NFL's best offenses, scoring 33 or more points in each of the last three games (two of them losses). They are just the fifth team in NFL history to average at least 28.0 points-per-game while starting 1-4 or worse.

Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 12 touchdown passes. He has the highest completion percentage (72.3, second in the league)and passer rating (113.6) by any quarterback to start 1-4 or worse since 1950 (among QBs to start all 5 games).

The Bengals have two excellent receivers in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and two productive running backs in Zach Moss and Chase Brown.

Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is facing the Bengals in a fifth consecutive season, the first four with the Tennessee Titans, including three as their coordinator.

"They're rolling offensively right now," Bowen said. "It's gonna be a big challenge for us and hopefully we're up for the task. You got to be able to change the picture on them. You can't let it be clean for (Burrow). You've got to have answers for these playmakers and be multiple. If (Burrow) knows what you're in, it's going to be tough, because he's really good at IDing things. He's really good at getting the ball to the right guy based on what he sees. So, it's going to take everybody come Sunday."

Bowen all but dismissed the Titans' 27-3 victory against Cincinnati last year. "Well, Burrow was a little dinged up, so we'll start there," he said.

Chase and Higgins have combined for 47 catches for 675 yards and seven touchdowns. Two of the Giants' cornerbacks know the Bengals' top players well. Cor'Dale Flott played with Burrow and Chase at LSU, and Nick McCloud was a teammate of all three players as a rookie with the Bengals in 2021.

"(The wideouts) are 1a and 1b – or really, 1a and 1a," McCloud said. "Both of them, as far as like what they can bring to the team and what they can bring to a defensive back in terms of problems they present, they're pretty equal to me. They're two premier players in the league. They're different receivers who present their own different challenges. But they're both problems."

"It's impressive what they've done so far offensively," Flott said. "They have a great quarterback, great scheme, great players. In this game, we've just got to go out there and play our style, do our thing."

"They're very explosive," said Lawrence, a former teammate of Higgins at Clemson. "I think, honestly, it's being dominant up front. That's the goal each week. We've got to attack this O-line, and we've got to make Burrow uncomfortable in the pocket to disrupt some throws, create some overthrows and underthrows. I think that's the biggest key."

Perhaps it will help the Giants find a path to victory at home and at night.

*The Bengals lead the all-time series, 6-5. When the Giants won in Cincinnati on Nov. 29, 2020, it was the first victory by a road team in the series' 11 games. It also gave the Giants their second back-to-back victories against the Bengals; they beat Cincinnati in 1994 and 1997. The teams last faced each other in MetLife Stadium on Monday night, Nov. 14, 2016, when Eli Manning's third touchdown pass of the game, a 3-yarder to Sterling Shepard early in the fourth quarter, held up for a 21-20 victory.