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The Bengals are certainly playing more for pride than anything at this point in the season. It would take a miraculous winning streak to make this season into anything that came close to being relevant. Still, games like this one against the Titans could provide momentum into next season.
Cincinnati just made a huge statement to their roster by trading away the disgruntled Carlos Dunlap. It was clear that the veteran pass rusher and coaching staff did not see eye to eye on the direction of this defense. Getting him out of the building should send a message to those who remain as well. It will be interesting to see how this defense plays in response to that move and crumbling at the end of the past two games.
The Bengals’ defense now gets a tall task against one of the hottest offenses in the NFL. The Titans come in with the league’s leading rusher, Derrick Henry, continuing his momentum from last season. He may be the running back who defenders would least like to tackle, and it shows in how well he has played this season. It also helps that Ryan Tannehill has been able to make plays when asked. His 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions is exactly what this team needs to go with Henry’s style of play.
This will be another chance for rookie Joe Burrow to show off, though. The Titans have been pretty easy to throw on, but the Bengals will likely be without Jonah Williams, Trey Hopkins and Bobby Hart along the offensive line, which is never ideal when one of the biggest concerns this season has been the protection for the quarterback. Joe Mixon has also missed some practice, so we may see even more Giovani Bernard like last week.
The key to this game probably comes down to whether the Bengals offense can score in th 30’s while their defense can get any stops on the day.
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: Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).
Online Stream: Watch the game online with a free trial of fuboTV
Replay: NFL Game Pass
SB Nation Titans’ site: Music City Miracle
Weather: Mid 40’s, partly cloudy [NFL weather]
Odds: Bengals, +4 [Odds Shark]