After establishing major momentum over the last few weeks around a bye, the Cincinnati Bengals went out in what felt like a playoff environment and beat the Tennessee Titans, 20-16.
Buy Bengals TicketsFitting, considering Sunday’s Week 12 matchup was a rematch of the divisional round bout the two teams had last January, a Bengals win by a field goal margin.
In some ways, Sunday afternoon looked quite a bit like that encounter. But with some unexpected performances and some noteworthy struggles in eyebrow-raising areas, there are plenty of takeaways and details to know as we exit Week 12.
Here’s a look at the notable notes and takeaways from the game.
There for a reason
Samaje Perine and Trenton Irwin were at it again while the offense missed Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Mixon. Perine had key plays while putting together 58 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown, plus four catches for 35 yards. Irwin (fresh off earning a roster spot due to his heroics last week) didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but he did have that wicked sideline catch on third down that ultimately led to a touchdown.
Sloppy
Call it what it was. The Bengals have thrived for the last season and a half in part because they have been so disciplined. Sunday saw them commit costly mistake after costly mistake, whether it was the nine penalties for 80 yards lost or unfortunate hiccups like Tyler Boyd slipping on a third down when he would have moved the chains. Not impossible to recover from, but the Bengals should have won this one handily without the mistakes.
Shades of last year
Down the stretch last year, the Bengals defense carried the team while the offense sporadically had outbursts. That was the case Sunday. But it’s important to keep in mind with the defense missing No. 1 corner Chidobe Awuzie, better quarterbacks might exploit the problem. Sunday was a huge win, but the offense needs the return of Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Mixon to significantly spark things, consistently.
Clutch and calm
How calm and cool are these Bengals in the toughest of spots? Second-to-last offensive drive, two key plays that lead to a touchdown. Last offensive drive? Huge run by Trayveon Williams, even bigger catch by Higgins. These Bengals broke the primetime curse and went to the Super Bowl last year and that experience has carried over. They’ve now won in Pittsburgh and in Tennessee over the last two weeks to rebound all the way back as contenders.
The o-line is on track
It wasn’t too long ago the Titans sacked Burrow nine times in the playoffs. He suffered one sack on Sunday behind his new line. That unit needed some time to get it together, but it’s playing at — at worst — an average level right now. That’s all the offense seems to need and better than most of the league has, too.
In-game notes
— First offensive drive for the Bengals was fantastic and looked like it would lead to points until a penalty on Chris Evans derailed things. It takes near-perfect football to beat a team like the Titans, so it was one that could really end up hurting in hindsight.
— Two very quick penalties on the special teams unit too, which was sure to have coordinator Darrin Simmons pulling at his hair. Bengals have won many close games over the last two years in part because of their lack of those types of mistakes.
— DJ Reader was a force in the first quarter, collapsing pockets and blowing up the run — as expected.
— Defense let up a huge scoring play on a screen to Derrick Henry but it came with a big but. But, Cam Taylor-Britt, a rookie, chased it down and chopped the ball out, causing a fumble. The Titans fell on it and scored, but it’s clear the second-rounder is as-advertised.
— Samaje Perine was making the explosive plays in the first half for the offense, be it as a receiver or running for a touchdown. The offense misses Joe Mixon, but he’s been a highlight.
— Samaje Perine and Cam Taylor-Britt had the top highlights of the first half.
— If/when the Bengals lose, it’s over mico issues like penalties. In the third quarter, the Bengals offense got flagged, then Tyler Boyd slipped on his route to cause an incompletion.
— Two plays changed this one late. One, the ridiculous sideline grab on third down by Trenton Irwin. Two, and shortly after that one, was Higgins’ big touchdown catch. They needed big plays to win this and got both on the same drive.
— Titans chunked their way downfield late in the fourth, but defensive MVPs DJ Reader and Mike Hilton were all over pretty much any play the offense tried to run through Derrick Henry.
