Tennessee never got anything going against Cincinnati in a game the Titans never held a lead in. The Bengals scored touchdowns on four of their final six possessions to slam the door on any Tennessee comeback.
Defensively, Tennessee failed to put any pressure on the Joe Burrow, a theme that has been repeating itself so far this year. It was the first time all season the Bengals offensive line didn’t allow a sack. The lack of pressure allowed the Bengals to have long methodical drives with no mistakes. Cincinnati had zero turnovers and over 10 minutes more time of possession.
Early mistakes cost the Titans dearly including a Ryan Tannehill interception in the endzone and a Stephen Gostkowski missed field goal. It’s the second loss in a row, something the Titans will hope to change as they host the Bears on Sunday.
Corey Davis torched the Bengals secondary for 128 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. (Photo by bengals.com).
The offense put up it’s second lowest total of the season against a bad Cincinnati defense. Still, it could have been enough to win with some stops from the defense. The Titans have a very good shot at the playoffs but without any defense it’ll be a short postseason.
The defensive line has to get more pressure. In games like Sunday where the defense is unable to get any turnovers, a zero turnover, zero sack game is most likely ending in a loss. The Bengals started four new offensive linemen and were able to render the Titans pass rush ineffective.
The Bears provide a great opportunity with a less than stellar Nick Foles in the backfield. With less of a threat through the air to worry about, expect the Titans to bring more pressure to get at the quarterback.
Mike Vrabel will no doubt be hammering that point home this week. The defense allowed the Bengals to go 10 for 15 on third down, failing time and again to get off the field. They are the NFL’s worst third down defense.
Joe Burrow escapes a would-be Chris Jackson (35) sack. (Photo by bengals.com).
Multiple times the Titans were able to get in the backfield and failed to bring down Joe Burrow. Burrow was able to wiggle away from bad tackling each time and turn the loss of yards into a positive for the Bengals. The Titans also had a late interception that was negated by a Malcolm Butler pass interference on the play.
As previously stated, Tannehill blew a touchdown opportunity early in the game with a redzone interception. It was one of Tannehill’s worst games as a Titan. Additionally the Stephen Gostkowski woes continued as he continues a career worst season. He is now 10 for 17 on the season.
The trade deadline arrives this week on Tuesday at 4pm ET. If the Titans will have one last opportunity to trade for any players they might need to make a postseason run.
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