NFL
The Cincinnati Bengals will travel down south to play the Tennessee Titans for week 12 of the 2022 NFL Season.
When: Sunday, November 27
Time: 1 pm
Network: CBS
Offense
The Bengals fared much better against Pittsburgh this time around despite still having two turnovers. Neither of the turnovers were Joe Burrows fault, and that’s a good thing. The offensive line was also formidable, giving up just two sacks. They will be tested once again facing a Titans defense that has 30 sacks on the season. The good news for the Bengals is that the Titans will be without their sack leader Denico Autry. Jefferey Simmons must be accounted for or else the game could look just like the Divisional round where Burrow was sacked nine times. Rashad Weaver is also another guy to watch in the pass rush. Cincinnati will be without running back Joe Mixon due to a concussion. Backup Samaje Perine along with Chris Evens and Trayveon Williams will all need to step up once again just like last week. With Mixon being out, I’m just very unsure about how much the Bengals will try to run the ball, especially since the Titans have a top run defense. The passing game has to be clicking everywhere just like versus the Steelers. Cincinnati will also need to win the time of possession while facing a conservative run-heavy team such as the Titans. Star receiver Ja’Marr Chase is almost back fully healthy but the Bengals will once again play without him. Tee Higgins will most likely be matched up with rookie cornerback Roger McCreary. The safety tandem of Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker is also very solid as well. Burrow has done a good job of finding the open man and not forcing the ball to his favorite targets. The Bengals will need more of that on Sunday facing an elite defense.
Defense
The Bengals defense truly looked like they were playing without their number one corner versus the Steelers. Pickett was able to move the ball downfield quite a bit. Tannehill is of course better than Pickett although I don’t like him either. Tennessee’s leading receiver is Robert Woods with just 335 yards. Titans rookie receiver Treylon Burks is also coming off a great game, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Tennessee tries to get him more involved in this game while facing a weakened cornerback group. Eli Apple is probably going to get beat for a touchdown. Rookie cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt needs to continue to step up in coverage. The biggest priority for the Bengals defense is stopping the run. Derrick Henry is the leading rusher in the NFL. Keeping him under 100 scrimmage yards puts the Bengals in a great position to win. The Bengals also need to be ready to see Dontrell Hilliard at running back in both the rush and passing attack. Nose tackle D.J. Reader along with linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt need to fly around and stuff the running lanes. Forcing at least one turnover also helps a lot. I’d much rather prefer Ryan Tannehill beat Cincinnati instead of Derrick Henry. This defense may start off slow, but as long as adjustments are made, I believe they can be successful keep Cincinnati in this game.
Prediction
Titans win 24-17
