A new year, but the same result. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Tennessee Titans in Nashville 10 months ago on their way to a Super Bowl appearance, and they were victorious in their return to the Music City on Sunday, downing the Titans 20-16 to move to 7-4.
The Titans had a chance to get the ball back and attempt a game-tying drive down seven points with just under two minutes remaining in the game, but defensive lineman Kevin Strong roughed up the long snapper on a field-goal attempt, and gave the Bengals a fresh set of downs to run out the clock in the red zone.
Joe Burrow completed 22-of-37 passing attempts for 270 yards and one touchdown in the victory. Samaje Perine was magnificent in Joe Mixon's place, rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown, and catching four passes for 35 yards. Tennessee native Tee Higgins dominated the Titans' secondary, as he caught seven passes for 114 yards and one touchdown.
Ryan Tannehill completed 22-of-34 passes for 291 yards, but Derrick Henry never got going on the ground for the Titans. While he caught three passes for 79 yards, he rushed for just 38 yards on 17 carries.
So, what happened in Nashville this Sunday? Let's take a look.
Why the Bengals won
After going into the halftime locker room tied at 10 apiece, the Bengals put together a very strong final two quarters. Cincy went three-and-out on its first possession of the third quarter, but the remainder of the Bengals' drives resulted in points: A field goal, the game-winning touchdown and then another field goal -- which was exchanged for a fresh set of downs thanks to the Titans' costly penalty.
Higgins stepped up with Ja'Marr Chase still sidelined, catching seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, and Perine was impressive too, recording 93 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. The Bengals simply made more plays down the stretch than the Titans did. The 66-yard drive that took the clock down from 6:07 to 0:00 was what real contenders do. Don't look now, but the Bengals have won a season-best three straight games, and are 7-2 in their last nine games after starting the season 0-2.
Why the Titans lost
There wasn't one reason why the Titans lost to the Bengals on Sunday. There were multiple:
- Titans went 0-for-3 in the red zone
- Henry rushed for just 38 yards on 17 carries
- Todd Downing's play-calling didn't exactly inspire fans
- Strong's bonehead penalty
- Higgins 'big-boy'd' Tennessee's secondary
The Titans secondary is something that's a bit concerning. The pass defense is usually aided by the play of Tennessee's tenacious front seven, but the cornerbacks can struggle with big-bodied star wideouts. Higgins found the holes in Tennessee's zone, and also was successful in one-on-one situations against several different defensive backs.
Turning point
Down seven points with 1:53 remaining, the Titans were going to have a chance to tie the game. Evan McPherson hit the 31-yard field goal, and it was Tennessee's turn on offense.
But wait. There's a flag on the field.
Strong had hit the defenseless long snapper, and drew an unnecessary roughness penalty that gave the Bengals a fresh set of downs -- and the opportunity to run out the clock.
It's fascinating because this is not the first time this season a team lost because of this exact penalty. The Washington Commanders lost to the Minnesota Vikings three weeks ago because of this same situation.
Play of the game
Henry took a pass 69 yards to the house in the second quarter -- but fumbled on the doorstep! Thankfully for the Titans, rookie wideout Treylon Burks followed the play, and fell on the loose ball in the end zone for his first career touchdown.
Samaje stiff-arm
Perine is one of the more underrated running backs in the NFL. On the first play of the game Sunday, he delivered a brutal stiff-arm to Titans linebacker David Long, escorting his face to the turf.
What's next
The Bengals return to Cincinnati next week, where they will host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. As for the Titans, they will pay a visit to Philadelphia, where they will take on the Eagles and their former friend A.J. Brown.