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Titans running back, Derrick Henry leaps in the air as he throws for a touchdown vs. the Bengals at home.
Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean
The Titans finally got their revenge today after suffering two stinging losses in their last 2 matchups vs. the Bengals. Tennessee thrashed Cincy, winning 27-3, and controlling every part of the game from start to finish. They go to 2-2 on the year, while the Bengals fall to an abysmal 1-3.
Game Observations
This is as complete as the offense will be. Without Treylon Burks, putting up 24 in the first half was huge. Having only 3 in the second half isn’t concerning to me, as scoring in the latter half of a game with a lead is not what the Titans do. What they do is get on top early, with Derrick Henry’s running, and play action, while the defense does the dirty work and mauls the opposition. That’s exactly what happened today. Another big thing is Tyjae Spears’ development. The rookie from Tulane (who mind you, doesn’t have an ACL in one knee), is a dawg out of the backfield. He had a whopping 8.0 yards per carry, and continues to be a great complement to the King. My one concern for the offense is still the line. LT Andre Dillard has been awful this year, giving me nightmares of Dennis Daley. Rookie monster Peter Skornski has missed the last 3 games with a ruptured appendix, but hopefully, he’ll be back soon, because this unit needs him. Switching sides of the ball, the defense is a great group. They dominated the Bengals offensive line yet again, with 3 sacks and 9 more QB hits. Free agent signing from the Jaguars, Arden Key has been a spark plug for the Music City Maulers all year, and he showed no signs of stopping with a sack today.
Stats and Fantasy Tips
Ryan Tannehill: 18/25, 240 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 6 carries, 11 yards
Derrick Henry: 22 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD, 1/1, 2 yards, 1 passing TD
Tyjae Spears: 8 carries, 40 yards, long of 22
DeAndre Hopkins: 4 catches, 63 yards, long of 38
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 5 catches 51 yards, 1 TD, long of 22
Josh Whyle: 2 catches, 26 yards, 1 TD, long of 24
Pick up Tyjae Spears. He has been the most explosive offensive player on the team, and he is still heavily underutilized. He very well could end up being the top dog on this offense in terms of overall usage, because he’s a big play waiting to happen. Pick up Nick Folk as well, but I’ve said that for a while and that's getting old. Also, to any Derrick Henry owners, he will dominate later on, he always starts slow. Take today's game for example.
Final Thoughts
A win is a win, especially if it's a bounce-back-revenge win. It doesn’t get easier for the boys in the Two-Tone, as they travel to Indy for their first divisional matchup vs. the rival Colts. It’s definitely a must-win game to re-assert dominance over the AFC South. Until then, #TitanUp!
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