The Tennessee Titans (7-3) are set to host the Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) in an AFC battle between two playoff hopefuls.
Tennessee enters this game as one of the hotter teams in the entire league, winning seven out of its last eight games.
During this streak, the Titans have found several different ways to win that haven’t always been pretty. Tennessee’s defense has been every bit elite, while the offense outside of Derrick Henry has largely been inconsistent.
Thankfully, it appears that this offense is slowly but surely showing signs of life as we now approach the back half of the season.
Revenge game or not, this has the potential to be a statement game for this entire franchise if it can put together 60 minutes of fundamentally sound football.
Having said all that, let’s take a closer look at three things the Titans must accomplish if they want to give themselves the best possible chance to secure their third straight victory this afternoon.
Make the Bengals earn everything they get
It’s no secret that the Bengals possess arguably the most explosive offense in football when fully healthy. Fortunately for the Titans, the Bengals might be without two of their best offensive weapons in running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Mixon has already been ruled out, while Chase is largely considered a game-time decision, although, reports are indicating that the superstar receiver’s on-field return is more likely to happen next week instead.
Nevertheless, even if the Bengals’ two Pro Bowlers are ultimately sidelined, their offense has more than enough talent to survive.
Wide receiver Tee Higgins is once again having another strong season, one in which he emphatically continues to prove that he’s capable of being a top weapon in this league.
Alongside fellow receiver Tyler Boyd, running back Samaje Perine, and tight end Hayden Hurst, Higgins and Co. are individually and collectively capable of impacting the game in a multitude of ways.
In order for the Titans to limit the Bengals’ overall impact, they have to make this talented offense work for everything it gets in the form of long drives.
In the passing game, it’s crucial that Tennessee’s defense keeps this deep group of pass-catchers in front of it at all times. If not, Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s offense can rip off big chunks of yardage.
Tennessee cannot let Cincinnati connect on game-changing “X” plays that often swing the momentum.
The Titans can survive an occasional long touchdown drive by the Bengals, but they likely won’t survive if they get themselves into a shootout with this particular team.
As for the run game, the Titans have been one of the top run defenses throughout the entire season. As long as they continue that trend on Sunday, they will put themselves in a favorable position to compete against this potent passing attack regardless of who’s out there for Cincinnati.
Also, once that happens, Tennessee’s tenacious pass-rush will then be allowed to pin its ears back and go hunt the opposing quarterback.
The Titans’ defense has to play a fundamentally and cerebrally sound game on all three levels in order to leave Nissan Stadium with an 8-3 record later on today.
Play mistake-free football
Everyone knows what happened the last time these two teams were on the same field together.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill had arguably the worst performance of his career at the worst possible time, throwing three back-breaking interceptions that ultimately played a large role in ending the Titans’ 2021 season.
Fast forward to this year and these two teams are set to square off once again.
Now, Everyone is entitled to their own opinion regarding whether or not this is considered a revenge game, but one thing we can all agree on is the fact that the Titans have to protect the football better if they want to beat this team.
Remain balanced on offense
The last time we saw the Titans take the field, their offense put together its most complete performance of the season. Tennessee’s offense finally found a consistent rhythm throughout the entire game, as the rushing and passing attacks beautifully fed off each other.
Tannehill eclipsed 300 passing yards on the day, Henry topped 130 total yards, and rookie wideout Treylon Burks surpassed the 100-yard mark for the first time in his young career.
Outside of those three, Tennessee’s role players also shined when called upon, giving the team a completely balanced attack that we hadn’t seen all year long.
Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Austin Hooper, Chigoziem Okonkwo and Dontrell Hilliard combined for 14 catches, 178 yards, and three touchdowns.
If the offense can find relatively similar success later on this afternoon, the Titans should give themselves a strong chance to end the weekend with a total of eight victories on the year.
