Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow paid a grand price in his team’s AFC divisional round win over the Tennessee Titans.
The Bengals offensive line had no answer for the Titans front seven. Regardless of whether Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen opted to send a few talents to rush Burrow or go all out with a blitz, his unit simply found relative ease in getting to the second-year quarterback. The Titans defense notched 13 quarterback hits and nine total sacks in this playoff encounter.
In the end, the Bengals got the last laugh, as a 52-yard field goal by kicker Evan McPherson in the final seconds of the game sent Cincinnati to the AFC Championship game for the third time in franchise history.
For now, Burrow sure is much enthusiastic about the win, but he may soon be feeling sore after taking on a multitude of hits from the likes of Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry.
“I feel good,” Burrow said in his post-game press conference. “That might not be the case tomorrow morning.”
The Titans joined the 1966 Buffalo Bills, 1984 San Francisco 49ers, 1986 Cleveland Browns and the 1993 Kansas City Chiefs as the only teams in NFL history to record at least nine sacks in a playoff game. But as was the case with the 1966 Bills, the Titans came away with a playoff loss even after accomplishing this historic feat.
Regardless of who the Bengals will end up meeting in the AFC Championship game next week, the offensive line sure will need to orchestrate a redemption performance to give Burrow some more time while in the pocket.
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