In a rematch of last season's AFC Divisional Round, the Cincinnati Bengals return to Nissan Stadium for a date with the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans hold a three-game lead atop the AFC South following their 27-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers last Thursday, while Cincy are a game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North after handling the Carolina Panthers 42-21.
Match preview
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The return of their starting quarterback seemed to rejuvenate the Tennessee offence over a week ago as they put up an impressive 408 yards in the frigid conditions at Lambeau Field.
No one is more relieved to see their number one pivot back on track than head coach Mike Vrabel, as his offence have had a hard time moving the ball through the air this season, ranked 31st in the league in that category.
It should come as no surprise to see them dominating the AFC South again, given the deficiencies of the other teams in that division, and they will face a formidable challenge on Sunday for the first time in weeks.
Tennessee have yet to win a game this season against a team with a winning record, and they will have two opportunities to do that in the weeks to come, facing the 6-4 Bengals and then the 9-1 Philadelphia Eagles.
Throughout 2022, the Titans have been successful by sustaining long drives, and they have a dependable back who can run consistently for positive yardage and take time off the clock.
While they have been great at running the ball, they were effective at stopping the run against Green Bay, allowing the dynamic Aaron Jones just 40 yards on 12 carries.
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Last Sunday, the Bengals looked like the dominant offensive unit we saw last season, putting up 408 total yards and 346 through the air in a 37-30 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We should get a good idea of what they are made of in the coming weeks as they face two teams in Tennessee and the Kansas City Chiefs who have winning records, after playing five consecutive games against clubs with sub-.500 records this year.
While they have one of the most accurate passers behind centre, Zac Taylor has struggled to get his running game going, as they could only manage 62 yards on the ground against the Steelers on 24 rushes from four different ball carriers.
Sunday will be their first meeting with an AFC South team this season, and they are unbeaten against that division since 2020.
Their Achilles heel heading into 2022 was the offensive line, but they have improved over their past couple of games, allowing two sacks or fewer to the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Losing their top receiver to an injury weeks ago has allowed them to unleash many more of their offensive weapons, as four players had carries in the backfield, and we saw nine players targeted last Sunday, seven of which had at least one catch.
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Team News
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Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had a solid return to the lineup last Thursday, going 22/27 for 333 yards and a pair of scores to go along with one interception, Derrick Henry ran for 87 yards and a touchdown, with Austin Hooper catching two TD passes.
Treylon Burks had a big day in the receiving game against Green Bay, with seven catches for 111 yards, while Kevin Byard, Joshua Kalu and David Long each had six tackles.
Amani Hooker missed their last match with a sore shoulder, Jeffrey Simmons is dealing with an ankle sprain, Ben Jones might be out because of concussion protocol and Lonnie Johnson is out with a hamstring strain.
Despite throwing a pair of interceptions against the Steelers, Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who is third in the NFL in passing yards (2,890), had four touchdown passes in that game, three to Samaje Perine and one to Trenton Irwin.
Cam Taylor-Britt led all players with nine tackles, Trey Hendrickson had a pair of sacks, while Vonn Bell is tied for third in the NFL regarding interceptions this season with four.
One of their top receivers in 2021, Ja'Marr Chase, is expected to miss another game with a hip issue, Eli Apple has a calf strain, Daxton Hill has a sore shoulder and Josh Tupou is also dealing with a calf injury.
Head To Head
Everything was on the line the last time these teams faced off, and they left it all out on the field at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in last season's AFC Divisional Round.
Joe Burrow was sacked nine times but kept coming back as Joe Mixon ran for a touchdown and Evan McPherson booted four field goals in a narrow 19-16 victory for Cincy.
The Titans lead the overall battle between the two with a 40-36-1 record, winning the last regular season matchup against them in Tennessee 24-20 in 2017 when DeMarco Murray had a TD catch and ran for a pair of scores as well.
Cincinnati last won a regular season affair in Nashville in 2011 when former pivot Andy Dalton tossed touchdown passes to Andre Caldwell and Colin Cochart.
We say: Tennessee Titans 20-27 Cincinnati Bengals
Pressure does not seem to faze Burrow, who is like a heavyweight fighter who keeps coming after you knock him down, and he has a terrific corps of receivers to count upon, which we believe will help them defeat a solid all-around side in Tennessee.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
