The Cincinnati Bengals sprinted out to a 10-point lead to start the second half of Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game against the Tennessee Titans and won it, 19-16.
Now they’re on to the AFC title game.
Here are some instant notes and numbers to know coming out of the playoff showdown.
Quick Hits
— Jessie Bates picked off Ryan Tannehill on the first play of the game, again making his case for that big-money extension. He baited the quarterback into the throw, something they were going to be able to do at least once against Tannehill.
— First offensive drive for the Bengals was brutal for the offensive line. Still resulted in three points, but a full game of that would equate to a loss.
— Second defensive drive, D.J. Reader, Vonn Bell and Germaine Pratt all made huge plays, shuttering Derrick Henry.
— Second offensive drive, more major OL issues. The right side was merely having major miscommunication issues.
— Bengals defense held Titans to under 50 yards and forced three punts in the opening frame. Given the talents and matchup projections for guys like Reader, it wasn’t totally shocking. The problem was whether the offense would take advantage.
— Titans finally (and predictably) broke through and scored a TD. Failed on a two-point try to keep it 6-6. But it was a good illustration of things to come — the Bengals offense needed to help out its defense in a big way.
— Burrow started heating up right before the half. A little extra time from the OL meant he was picking apart the zone defense. A great example of how better line play might’ve led to a blowout win.
— All things considered, a 9-6 lead at halftime was a win, especially when getting the ball to start the second half.
— And there it went. Huge cutback by Joe Mixon went for six to make it 16-6. That’s a huge deal against a Titans squad built to sit on the lead, not play from behind.
— Bengals found a full-time returner with Chris Evans, who had an excellent game in that role.
— Controversial interception and review by officials led to a touchdown for the Titans. But the bigger story was Zac Taylor and the coaches even putting Samaje Perine on the field in the first place. Big mistake.
— Once again, Bengals defense came up huge with a fourth-down stop with the game tied at 16, putting the pressure on the offense to make the most of a gift.
— The rookie McPherson
Key Stat
9: Number of sacks suffered by Burrow. The line had a bad game, but his decision-making was off. He was trying to play too much hero ball instead of just getting rid of it. There were several sacks that lost notable yardage, making field goals harder or knocking them out of range completely.
Game Balls
D.J. Reader: Two tackles for loss and an unblockable presence all night, Reader shut down things in and around his vicinity often.
Ja’Marr Chase: Frustrating game for Chase, who seemed to just will big plays into existence on his limited chances. He turned five catches into 109 yards as the team’s only big offensive spark.
Top Takeaway
On to the next: No matter Saturday’s result, the Bengals could come away very happy with the incredible season. Weaknesses get magnified in the playoffs, which is what everyone saw with Burrow suffering so many sacks. But in the end, they scrapped and did just enough to keep the magical season going.
