The Cincinnati Bengals face one of their harder-to-predict games of the season on Sunday in Tennesee against the Titans.
On first pass, it very much feels like a game between franchises heading in different directions. The Bengals have beaten the Titans in each of their last three meetings, including a playoff encounter in 2021 and the regular season last year. While the Bengals have contended and have a better quarterback situation, the Titans offense centerpiece, Derrick Henry, is now 29 years old.
Buy Bengals TicketsBut it’s not nearly so simple, not with Joe Burrow still trying to play through the calf injury in the hopes it can get to 100 percent without any setbacks. So far so good this week as he went full in practice both days, but it remains to be seen if physical limitations limit the offense.
That was partly the case during last Monday night’s win over the Rams, as Burrow had extremely limited mobility. Creative usage of Ja’Marr Chase helped and stunning drop issues for Tee Higgins and pre-snap penalties from veterans did not.
In theory, Burrow could have better mobility and the offense will have fewer mental mistakes as everything gets into gear, which is good because the running game might not be able to get going against the fourth-ranked rush defense.
Still, these matchups usually resemble AFC North games and the Bengals sit in a good-looking spot. The defensive pass-rush, for example, came alive last week and just in time to face a Titans team missing first-round rookie Peter Skoronski, which means the Titans will start pretty much the same interior that DJ Reader has terrorized for years. The pass-rush should hit home plenty against a line that has let up 10 sacks over its last two outings. Ryan Tannehill has just five touchdowns and seven picks in seven games against the Bengals for his career.
And then there’s Henry. The Bengals have slammed the door on one of the NFL’s best repeatedly. Last year, he had 62 yards on 20 carries (3.1 average) and a score and in the 2021 playoff game, just 38 yards on 17 carries (2.2). So far this year, he’s averaging just 3.2 yards per carry.
Feel free to tack on weird stuff, such as the fact the Bengals have somehow won seven in a row on short week scenarios, which is highly unusual.
Provided Burrow stays healthy and the gameplan is as creative again to keep things trending upward, Bengals wideouts should feast against a poor secondary and the Trey Hendrickson-led pass-rush should key a strong defensive showing capable of carrying the load again if necessary.
Prediction: Bengals 27, Titans 20
