The Cincinnati Bengals will look to build on the momentum of their historic second-half rally last weekend when they host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the second half as he threw four touchdown passes and led touchdown drives on the team’s first five possessions. The performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Cincinnati is looking for its first three-game win streak since ending the 2024 season with five straight victories. The team is in search of its first 5-2 start since its Super Bowl season of 2021.
“I am confident that we built this team with players that understand that, and they don’t need to be reminded of that,” coach Zac Taylor said. “They know (the victory in Baltimore) was a great win, but it’s one win in 17 games. We’ve got to be able to move on to Tennessee and put together another great performance.”
The Bengals rank fourth in the league in scoring (27.2 points per game), sixth in net passing yards (264.0 per game) and tied for fifth in fewest sacks allowed (10). Burrow leads the NFL with a 71.7 completion percentage, while his 15 touchdown passes are tied for second. Tee Higgins’ team-leading 571 receiving yards rank eighth in the NFL, and both wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and tight end Mike Gesicki are tied for third in receiving touchdowns with five apiece.
On defense, Cincinnati is tied for the league lead with 21 sacks. Those are the most by a Bengals defense in the first six games of a season since 1995. Coordinator Al Golden’s unit is giving up touchdowns on just 35 percent of opponents’ red-zone opportunities, the third-best rate in the NFL.
Edge Boye Mafe leads the team with 4.5 sacks, while nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II is tied for second in the league among players at his position with seven tackles for loss.
Sunday’s win was costly. Tight end Erick All Jr. was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, while safety Kyle Dugger is week-to-week with a quadriceps injury.
The Titans could not hold an early 14-0 lead against the Browns. Running back Tony Pollard accounted for all three of Tennessee’s touchdowns. His third rushing touchdown of the game helped tie the score at 24-24 with less than a minute remaining in regulation, but Andre Szmyt’s 32-yard field goal as time expired gave the Browns the win.
Pollard gained 129 yards on 25 carries, including a 36-yard touchdown to cap the opening drive. He matched his career high in touchdowns while producing the fourth-best rushing total of his career and his third-highest scrimmage yards total (155).
Titans QB Cam Ward threw for 181 yards and an interception on 20-of-31 passing. For the season, he is completing 62.0 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He is 30th among qualified NFL quarterbacks with a 73.8 passer rating.
“The challenge really is finishing. We’re 1-4 in one-score games inside five minutes to go,” Titans coach Robert Saleh said. “We’re putting ourselves in position to find ways to win football games. We did it versus Indianapolis, we found a way to put ourselves in a position where, in the last five minutes of the game, we’re in a one-score game and we made the plays to win.
“Right now, we have a finishing problem and it’s something that we’ve been talking about all year. Being 1-4 in these one-score games, flip the record, now you’re 4-3.”
Tennessee’s injury report Wednesday listed four players as not participating in practice: defensive end John Franklin-Myers (groin), running back Tyjae Spears (knee), wide receiver Carnell Tate (shoulder) and punter Tommy Townsend (knee). Wide receiver Calvin Ridley (hip) was limited, while linebacker Dorian Mausi (foot) was a full participant.
Cincinnati’s injury report listed Chase (rest/ankle), Dugger and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (rest) as not participating, safety Jordan Battle (hamstring) and linebacker Joe Giles-Harris (calf) were limited.