The Bengals were in for a test, heading into Tennessee to take on the Titans in their house. Not only have the Titans been having a fine season, but you know that revenge would be on their minds after the Bengals eliminated them in the divisional round of the playoffs last season. The game was rough around the edges for the Bengals, but the team showed good grit and determination to tough out the win.
The Good:
- DT, DJ Reader
Reader led the way against the Titans. The big run stuffing NT played a huge role in limiting Derrick Henry to only 38 yards on the ground and an average of 2.2 yards per carry.
- WR, Tee Higgins
Higgins had another big day with Chase out. He was Burrow’s favourite target and was consistently open down the field. Higgins totaled 7 receptions for 114 yards and a TD against the Titans.
- RB, Samaje Perine
Perine filled in with Mixon out, and did a fine job. Stats don’t jump out, but he ran tough against a tough team. You could say that his wicked stiff arm set the tone. He totaled 93 yards from scrimmage and a TD.
- RB, Trayveon Williams
Williams has had a hard time getting opportunities on offence, but got a few on Sunday and took advantage. His 16 yards rush and 24 yard catch caught some attention. As well, with Chris Evans possibly being in the doghouse, Williams might have an opportunity to jump up to the 3rd spot.
- WR, Trenton Irwin
Irwin only made one catch. However, it was a big 3rd down conversion and an impressive 24 yarder. It allowed the offence to stay on the field, resulting in a TD on the next play.
- CB, Eli Apple
Apple did well to limit the damage done by the Tennessee wideouts. He didn’t allow a ton of separation and had a few nice pass breakups.
- TE, Hayden Hurst
Hurst had himself a good game. He served as a reliable underneath target, while also going for 29 yards on one catch.
- LB’s, Logan Wilson & Germaine Pratt
Wilson and Pratt, in addition to Reader, were huge for the run game. With so much attention on that, their work in coverage has gone somewhat unnoticed. Their play in both phases has been huge.
- DE, Sam Hubbard
Sticking with the defence, Hubbard also did his part to help against the run. He also racked up the team’s only sack of the day.
- P, Drue Chrisman
It was another good game for Chrisman. He boomed a 61 yard punt and averaged 51.8 yards over 5 attempts. His directional kicking has also looked good thus far. He landed two inside the 20.
The Bad:
- RB, Chris Evans
Evans got on the field early in the game, but a pass interference call against him negated a catch by Higgins. After that, Trayveon Williams got more snaps and made some plays. Is Evans falling down the depth chart, or will they give him a chance to bounce back?
- Special Teams
The kicking was good, but the special teams coverage unit was not. Penalties set up the offence in poor field position multiple times. Luckily, the Bengals offence was able to get out of it eventually, but nevertheless, we can’t have penalties like this, going forward.
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