Bengals vs. Titans score: Joe Burrow outduels Ryan Tannehill, Cincinnati prevails in battle of AFC contenders

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. 

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Oh nooooooo. Kevin Strong just virtually ended the game by touching a defenseless player on the field goal. He destroyed the long-snapper. 

 
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Jeffery Simmons again comes up big with a stop on third down. Bengals now forced to kick a field goal to extend the lead to seven points. 

 
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Trayveon Williams with a huge 16-yard pickup, and then Tee Higgins with another massive 29-yard catch. They are trying to put this game on ice. 

 
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Deep breath. The rookie Shudak hits the 38-yard field goal to cut the Bengals' lead to four points. Right decision there. 6:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

 
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Tannehil fakes the scramble and then hits Okonkwo for a gain of 17 yards. 

 
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The Tennessee boy! Tee Higgins goes up on Roger McCreary and scores a 27-yard touchdown. Six plays, 75 yards and a touchdown lead for Cincy. 

 
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Tee Higgins goes for 24 yards on that play. Titans secondary can't allow Burrow to get hot at this stage in the game. 

 
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Things went from 0 to 100 -- and then 100 to 0 real quick. Titans go three and out inside the Bengals' 12-yard line. Surprising considering this offense is usually good in the red zone. 13-13 tie game.

Tannehill is limping around yet again. Not good to see. 

 
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WOW. Treylon Burks gets big on Taylor-Britt, and comes down with a 51-yard 50/50 ball. Trey Hendrickson was also flagged for roughing the passer. 68 yards on two plays. 

 
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Pretty solid drive by the Bengals. 60 yards on 14 plays and they take the lead with a 38-yard field goal. A Joe Burrow intentional grounding penalty at the Titans' 16-yard line really hurt, but it's good to get points. 

 
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Samaje Perine is balling. 54 rushing yards, 35 receiving yards, another first down. 

 
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Bengals pass-rush is definitely rattling Ryan Tannehill. And he's limping a bit. Not 100% healthy. Derrick Henry getting going would help. He has just 19 yards on 10 carries. 

 
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Titans go nowhere on their first drive of the second half. Tannehill was sacked for a loss of 10 yards on third down. 

 
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HALFTIME STATS:::::: CIN 10, TEN 10

First downs: CIN 9 TEN 9
Total plays: CIN 32 TEN 32
Total yards: CIN 178 TEN 219
Penalties: CIN 6 for 46 yds TEN 4 for 25 yds
TOP: CIN 16:21 TEN 13:39

Joe Burrow 12/20 122 yds
Ryan Tannehill 14/23 190 yds

Samaje Perine: Six rushes, 29 yds, 1 TD ... four receptions 35 yds

Derrick Henry: Seven rushes 13 yds .... two receptions for 70 yds

 
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Shudak misses a 35-yard field goal to end the first half. The rookie is now 1 of 2 on the day. 

 
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I truly do think Samaje Perine is an underrated back, and he's been a wrecking ball today. His 7-yard touchdown run ties the game at 10 apiece. 9 plays, 92 yards. Joe Burrow looked MUCH more comfortable on that possession. 

 
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Samaje Perine and Derrick Henry have 110 receiving yards combined.

 
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Bengals are now 0-5 on third downs. That's been the story of this one so far. 

 
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WOW. Derrick Henry takes a screen pass 69 yards to the house -- but fumbles on the front doorstep! The rookie Treylon Burks recovers it in the end zone for his first career score. 

 
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David Long not having a good game. Got planted on the first play of the afternoon, and got passed over for a gain of 29 that went to Hayden Hurst. Still, Bengals stall just outside the red zone, and Evan McPherson made a challenging 47-yard field goal. 

 
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Titans get on the board first, and they definitely appear to be the more juiced team early on. 10 plays, 39 yards and three points. A 25-yard catch by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine sparked that drive. 

 
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It really seems like the Titans have a legitimate passing attack after having arguably the worst passing attack earlier in the year. Treylon Burks is getting more touches, NWI is making the most of his touches, Austin Hooper is finally a legitimate part of the offense, Okonkwo is making splash plays. It's great. 

 
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Joe Burrow doesn't look right. 5 of 10 for 19 yards. 

 
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Not sure I've seen a QB false start derail a drive, but that's what happened on Tennessee's last possession. 

 
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Pretty impressive play from Titans CB Tre Avery in coverage. He's been a bright spot in this secondary over the past couple weeks. Bengals go 21 yards on seven plays on their first possession. An offensive pass interference penalty negated a 22-yard gain by Tee Higgins that would have gotten Cincy a couple yards from the red zone. 

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