The Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals will meet for the third time since 2020 when they do battle at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday.
The Bengals have won each of the last two matchups with the Titans since 2020, including Cincinnati’s divisional round upset of Tennessee from last season.
In this year’s matchup, the Titans will hope for a similar effort from their defense, but the offense is going to have to do a lot more than it did.
If Tennessee wants to keep to good times rolling and notch its eighth win in nine games, it has to win all or at least the majority of the following key matchups:
Titans' pass-rush vs. Bengals' offensive line
When these two teams met in the playoffs last season, the Titans piled up nine sacks against Joe Burrow and Co., which helped limit a potent Cincinnati offense to just 19 points.
While Cincinnati spent a good amount of resources on its offensive line this past offseason, the results haven’t been what the team hoped for, with the group upfront surrendering 34 sacks, the fourth-most in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the Titans have sported one of the best defensive fronts and pass-rushes in the NFL this season, with 30 sacks through 10 games. Bear in mind, Tennessee is doing this without Harold Landry, who led the team in sacks in 2021 before suffering a torn ACL prior to the 2022 campaign.
The Titans’ pass-rush will be even more short-handed in this one, as Denico Autry has been ruled out with a knee injury. The good news for Tennessee is that Bud Dupree is set to make his return after his latest hip injury.
The Titans also still have Rashad Weaver and Jeffery Simmons to pick up the slack in the pass-rush, as well as Mario Edwards and DeMarcus Walker, both of whom have played well when asked to step in.
Cincinnati’s best asset is its passing attack, especially against an elite Titans run defense that will make the Bengals one-dimensional. The pass-rush has to pressure Burrow early and often in order to slow this group down and possibly force some turnovers to change the complexion of the game.
Titans' secondary vs. Bengals' WRs
The Titans are in danger of not having their No. 1 cornerback in Kristian Fulton, who is questionable to play. On the other side of the spectrum, Tennessee will welcome back Amani Hooker and Elijah Molden.
Tennessee needs all hands on deck for this game, as the Bengals sport one of the best passing attacks in the NFL.
Now, that passing attack could be without Ja’Marr Chase, who is a game-time decision, but the unit still features other dangerous weapons like Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
The Titans’ secondary has to limit the big plays against one of the best big-play offenses in the NFL and force the Bengals to earn every yard. When Tennessee is able to do that, opponents have a tough time scoring points.
Ryan Tannehill vs. Bengals' defense
When these two teams met in the playoffs last season, Tannehill was a mess, with the veteran signal-caller throwing three interceptions that doomed his team to a 19-16 loss.
The performance was a tough pill to swallow, as the Titans looked primed to make a serious run, and Tannehill made it clear just how badly the loss impacted him throughout the offseason.
There is no getting revenge for what happened last season, but Tannehill needs to exercise some demons in this one. He can do that with a strong game, which would also continue building momentum for a Tennessee passing attack that finally has some going into Week 12.
The Bengals haven’t been elite against the pass by any stretch, but they do own the No. 13 pass defense in the NFL. Cincinnati’s pass-rush isn’t scary, either, with the group tallying just 16 sacks in 10 games.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Bengals sellout to stop the run as much as the Green Bay Packers did last week, something that didn’t work out for them.
Chances are Derrick Henry will once again see stacked boxes all game long, which has proven difficult for him to overcome in the last two games.
If we see that again, it’s going to be on Tannehill to win this game with his arm, something he has proven capable of doing the last two weeks. A win coupled with a strong performance from Tannehill will do a lot for the veteran signal-caller’s psyche moving forward.
