Possible Tennessee Titans Playoff Opponent No. 2: Cincinnati Bengals
Key players:
- Joe Burrow: 4,611 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, 70.4 completion percentage
- Ja’Marr Chase: 1,455 receiving yards, 81 catches, 13 touchdowns
- Joe Mixon: 1,205 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns
Both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders can earn a showdown against the Titans if the Bills take care of business against the Patriots and the Chiefs take out the Steelers. From there, the winner between the Bengals and Raiders will have a date with the Titans.
The Bengals left most of the NFL world speechless this season. Joe Burrow was still very much a question mark before the year kicked off.
After a solid rookie season last year that was truncated by a torn ACL, Burrow appeared to be struggling to find his rhythm in the preseason and during offseason workouts. Once the games really counted, he was simply awesome.
Burrow finished his sophomore season with the sixth-most passing yards in the league with 4,611. He was also the most accurate starting QB in the NFL, wrapping up the season with a completion percentage of 70.4.
The offense may have revolved around Burrow and rookie sensation Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but Joe Mixon was the forgotten man. When Burrow couldn’t get things going through the air, they placed the ball into the belly of Mixon and watched him eat defenses alive. His 1,205 rushing yards were good for third on the rushing leaderboard this year.
One side of the ball for the Bengals was prolific but their defense was very much mediocre. In terms of points per game, the Bengals gave up 22.1, giving them a below-average scoring defense. They were great when it came to stuffing the run, however, giving up only 102.5 yards per game, good for fifth in the league.
With Derrick Henry set to return to the lineup, we know he’ll get the ball early and often. But, even if he’s back to 100% that might not be the best path to victory for the Titans.