Cincinnati Bengals look to start winning streak against struggling Titans
CINCINNATI (1-2) at TENNESSEE (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX
OPENING LINE: Bengals by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bengals 0-2-1; Titans 2-1-0.
SERIES RECORD: Titans lead 40-37-1.
LAST MEETING: Bengals beat Titans 21-16 on Nov. 27, 2022, in Nashville.
LAST WEEK: Bengals beat Rams 19-16; Titans lost at Browns 27-3.
BENGALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (30), RUSH (26), PASS (29), SCORING (28).
BENGALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (t-30), PASS (12), SCORING (t-16).
TITANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (t-23), PASS (30), SCORING (t-30).
TITANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (4), PASS (28), SCORING (t-16).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bengals plus-2; Titans: even.
BENGALS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Joe Burrow. He may be playing with a sore calf that limited him to completing only 53.1% of his passes last week. But he threw for a season-high 259 yards to help Cincinnati avoid an 0-3 start. He also is 2-0 against Tennessee with three TD passes, no interceptions and a 98.9 passer rating. He won't be a game-time decision again after practicing fully all week.
TITANS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Ryan Tannehill. The 35-year-old veteran has lost five straight games to Cincinnati going back to his days with Miami. He has thrown a combined five TD passes with seven interceptions in seven games against the Bengals.
KEY MATCHUP: Cincinnati's defense against the Titans' offensive line. The Bengals are allowing only 200.7 yards passing per game. They had six sacks and two interceptions against the Rams. Only Washington has allowed more sacks than Tennessee with Tannehill taken down 13 times. That includes five sacks in each of the past two games.
KEY INJURIES: Bengals TE Irv Smith Jr. (hamstring) will miss a second straight game, and rookie WR/PR Charlie Jones is out with an injured thumb. Bengals LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee) is questionable. ... Titans starting WR Treylon Burks, who missed practice time in August with an injured knee, is out after not practicing Thursday or Friday because of that left knee. The Titans also declared LG Peter Skoronski (appendectomy) out for a third straight game along with DB Elijah Molden (hamstring) and LB Luke Gifford (hamstring). Starting OLB Harold Landry practiced fully Thursday and Friday with a hamstring. DL Teair Tart (knee) and DL Denico Autry (groin) are questionable.
SERIES NOTES: This is the 79th game between these former AFC Central rivals. ... The Bengals have won four of the past five, including an AFC divisional game in January 2022 on their run to the Super Bowl as the AFC champs. ... Bengals coach Zac Taylor is 3-0 against the Titans and coach Mike Vrabel.
STATS AND STUFF: The Titans are trying to bounce back from their worst offensive performance in 49 years after managing only 94 yards in losing last week in Cleveland. ... WR Ja'Marr Chase led Cincinnati with a career-high 12 catches for 141 yards last week. That was his 10th game with at least 100 yards receiving. He has five or more catches in 11 straight games, tied with Keenan Allen of the Chargers for the NFL's longest active streak. Chase needs 10 catches to tie Jarvis Landry as the third-fastest NFL player to reach 200 catches in 33 games. Only Odell Beckham Jr. (30) and Michael Thomas (32) reached that mark in fewer games. ... Bengals RB Joe Mixon ran for a season-high 65 yards and his first TD last week. He has at least 70 yards from scrimmage in each game this season. ... DE Trey Hendrickson had a season-high two sacks last week for his ninth such game and fifth with the Bengals. ... Bengals LB Logan Wilson had two interceptions last week. ... Rookie RB Tyjae Spears led the Titans with four catches last week. ... WR DeAndre Hopkins led the Titans with 48 yards receiving last week. ... Burks has had at least 65 yards receiving in his past two home games. ... S Amani Hooker led the Titans with 11 tackles last week. ... Titans CB Roger McCreary had 10 tackles and a sack last week. ... Titans DE Denico Autry had a sack and a forced fumble last week. He is one of six in the NFL with a sack in each of the first three weeks.
FANTASY TIP: Titans RB Derrick Henry is looking for his first 100-yard rushing game of the season against a defense giving up 151.7 yards rushing per game. He needs 2 yards rushing to become the sixth-fastest player since 2000 to reach 8,500 yards in his 106th game.
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