NFL Week 8 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (1-5-1) vs. Tennessee Titans (5-1)

The Bengals get the Steelers’ sloppy seconds for the second week in a row. This time, a Titans team coming off their first loss of the season will be making their way into Cincinnati.

Tennessee is still flying high off their run from the end of 2019. Their offense is led by Derrick Henry who has become the most feared running back in the NFL among defenders, and no one can blame them. Who would want to consistently get in his way.

What has really opened up their offense was the insertion of Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, who has been much improved with his change of scenery after spending most of his career with the Dolphins.

The Bengals offense wasn’t the problem last week. Joe Burrow led a game-winning drive and the team to 34 points. The issue came with the defense allowing five straight touchdown drives including one with only 11 seconds left in the game. These two units have to be on the top of their game if they want to pull off the upset at home.

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals take on the Titans:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (1-5-1) vs. Tennessee Titans (5-1)

Date/Time: Nov. 1st, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio

Series Leader: The Titans lead the series 40-33-1

Streak: The Bengals have won two of the past three meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: (0-0). Mike Vrabel (0-0)

Television: The game will air on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Adam Archuleta (analyst).

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

SB Nation Titans’ site: Music City Miracle

Weather: Mid 40’s, partly cloudy [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals, +4 [Odds Shark]

Bengals Notes

• Joe Burrow passed for a career-high 406 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a career-high 112.5 passer rating and rushed for a touchdown last week, his fifth game with at least 300 passing yards, tied for second-most by a rookie in NFL history. He became the first Cincinnati rookie to pass for 400 yards in a single game. Burrow leads the NFL with 195 completions.
• Joe Mixon had a rushing touchdown in the last meeting with the Titans. He aims for his seventh in a row against the AFC South with a touchdown. Giovani Bernard had a season-high 96 scrimmage yards (59 receiving and 37 rushing) and a receiving touchdown last week. He aims for his third game in a row with a touchdown.
• Tyler Boyd led the team with a season-high 11 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in Week 7. He has at least five catches and 50 receiving yards in five of his past six games. He aims for his third in a row at home with seven catches and 90 receiving yards. A.J. Green had seven catches for 82 yards last week. He aims for his third game in a row with seven catches and 80 receiving yards. Rookie Tee Higgins had five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown in Week 7. He is tied second among rookies with three receiving touchdowns and third with 410 receiving yards.
• Geno Atkins had a sack in his last game against the Titans. He has a sack in three of his past four games against the AFC South. Darius Phillips had his first interception of the season last week. He has five passes defended and three interceptions in his past four games at home. Jessie Bates had a tackle for a loss in Week 7. He aims for his third in a row against the AFC South with a pass deflection. He has two passes defended in two of his past three at home.

Titans Notes

• Ryan Tannehill passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns without a pick for a 104.9 passer rating last week, his 10th game with at least two touchdown passes and no interceptions since 2019, tied for second-most in the NFL. He aims for his fourth in a row with two touchdown passes and a 100 passer rating. He ranks fourth in the NFL with 112.3 passer rating
• Derrick Henry rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown last week, his fifth game with 75 rushing yards this season, most in NFL. He has seven rushing touchdowns in his past four games and aims for fifth in a row with a rushing touchdown. He leads the NFL with 663 rushing yards and ties for the lead with seven rushing touchdowns.
• A.J. Brown had six catches for a season-high 153 yards and a touchdown in Week 7, his sixth-career game with 100 receiving yards. He aims for his fourth in a row with a touchdown catch. He has 253 receiving yards (126.5 per game) in two career games against the AFC North. He has 120 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in two of his past three games on the road. Corey Davis had a touchdown catch last week. He aims for his third game in a row with at least five catches. Jonnu Smith is tied for the lead among tight ends with five receiving touchdowns this season.
• Jadeveon Clowney had a pass deflection and his first forced fumble of the season in Week 7. He had a sack and a pass deflection in his last game against the Bengals (9/8/19 with Seahawks). Jayon Browns had eight tackles, career-high four passes defended and his first interception of the season last week. He aims for his seventh in a row with at least five tackles. Johnathan Joseph had a tackle for a loss and a pass deflection last week. He had 76 passes defended and 14 interceptions in five seasons with Cincinnati (2006-10).