The Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of things to worry about ahead of the team’s Week 4 showdown with the Tennessee Titans.
Chief among those is quarterback Joe Burrow playing through a calf injury, of course. But playing on a short week after a Monday night game is always a concern too, never mind the fact the game takes place on the road.
Buy Bengals TicketsIt doesn’t help, either, that the Titans are a very tough team that has given the Bengals problems over the last few years. Bengals coaches could be heard all week talking about what is apparent to fans — playing the Titans is like playing another AFC North team.
Here’s a breakdown of the biggest causes for concern facing the Bengals this weekend.
Joe Burrow's injury
Too obvious, but one can’t gloss over it, either. Last Monday, Burrow was clearly limited to the pocket besides one designed rollout he and coaches weren’t even sure was going to work (they confirmed after the game). That doesn’t figure to change all that much in Tennessee, which the Titans will understand. If he’s unable to extend plays, take deeper dropbacks or plant properly to hit those deep throws and sideline shots, the unit will continue to look like a shell of its former self. And of course, we’ve got to mention the possibility of a re-injury, as his current plan is to play through the pain and hope it gets back to 100 percent in the process.
The short week and other injuries
Disclaimer: The Bengals have won seven in a row off “short weeks” involving primetime games. But Burrow is hurt, tight end Irv Smith Jr. continues to be unavailable and rookie wideout Charlie Jones was on the injury report all week. One would think there is a bigger risk of new injuries popping up during the game too, given the wear and tear of a short week.
Derrick Henry
Another disclaimer: The Bengals have bullied Derrick Henry lately. Our excerpt from the weekly best-bets advice:
Last year during a battle of seven-win teams, the Bengals held Derrick Henry to 38 yards on 17 attempts (2.2 per-carry average). In the divisional round in 2021, they held Henry to 62 yards on 20 attempts (3.1).
Henry has been struggling mightily this year too…but the Bengals enter this one coughing up 151.7 yards rushing yards per game, tied for 30th in the NFL. If he gets rolling, will the Bengals be able to stop it?
Flags
One of the big focal points for the team and outsiders such as right here this week was the stunning miscues by veterans on Monday. There were at least three notable pre-snap penalties during the win over the Rams that classified as drive-killers. Veterans like Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd shouldn’t be making pre-snap miscues and especially not at home. There was also a pass interference on Tee Higgins, of note. With Burrow hurt and the offense limited, the margin for error is extremely thin and this time the Bengals are on the road, so it could be just one flag that ruins the entire effort this weekend.
October (and a road contest)
The Bengals might have gotten the better of the Titans over the last three or so meetings, including a playoff victory. But they’re on the road this week and Tennessee happens to be an unusually good team in October lately — they’re 10-2 in October dating back to 2021. It’s a little thing, but worth pointing out. While the Titans have struggled down the stretch of seasons lately, this is usually when they kick it into high gear and become problems, even for contenders.
