The Cincinnati Bengals are set for their biggest game in years, as they will meet the Tennessee Titans in the AFC divisional round.
The Bengals put an end to their lengthy playoff win drought in the AFC wild-card round with a crucial 26-19 home victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. Even as Raiders quarterback Derek Carr made it quite stressful for the Bengals fans in attendance over the late stages of the fourth quarter, a red zone interception by linebacker Germaine Pratt halted Las Vegas' bid at an upset road playoff win.
The Titans sure took advantage of their first-round bye, especially as running back Derrick Henry will make his long-awaited return to action in this clash with Cincinnati. He has been out of action since suffering a foot injury in the Titans’ road win over the Indianapolis Colts in the regular season. After a stint on injured reserve coupled with a lengthy injury rehab process, he is now ready to once again be a focal point of the team's game planning on offense.
The Titans are aiming for a trip to the AFC Championship game for the second time in three years, while the Bengals are looking to clinch a third appearance in this game in franchise history.
Here is what may end up transpiring for the Bengals in this heavyweight clash against the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
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4. Trey Hendrickson wins the line of scrimmage duel against Taylor Lewan
There will be multiple matchups to watch in this encounter between the Bengals and Titans, from cornerback and wide receiver battles to running back and middle linebacker duels. What may end up deciding this playoff matchup may center on just who will win the line of scrimmage clash between Bengals right defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan.
Hendrickson entered the week with some early concern on whether he would be given the green light to play in the AFC divisional round, as he had been in doubt due to a concussion suffered in the AFC wild-card win over the Raiders. Still, he was a regular in practice this week, which factored into the team's decision to not place any injury designation on him for the game.
Hendrickson has been the Bengals’ most reliable pass rusher in the campaign, which has included a combined 15.0 sacks in 17 total games played. He is now set for what may be the most arduous challenge of his season yet, as he will meet Lewan this week.
After a game to forget in the Titans’ Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Lewan picked up his form over the remainder of the regular season, as he allowed a total of four sacks in 846 snaps played.
With his speed off of the line of scrimmage coupled with his sheer strength, Hendrickson sure has what it takes to win the duel against Lewan with a pair of sacks on Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
3. Bengals slow down the Titans in the red zone
In an offense filled with creative playmakers, it was not a surprise to see the Titans finish the regular season ranking as one of the more efficient red zone offenses in the NFL. The Titans offense ranked fifth in red zone touchdown percentage with a 63.9 percent mark.
Here are the Titans-Bengals odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo may have a few tricks up his sleeve to slow down the Titans in this area of the field. It sure would not be a shock to see the Bengals defense opt for more zone blitzes in order to catch Tannehill off guard and force him to roam out of the pocket, where the likes of Hendrickson or defensive end Sam Hubbard could track him down for pivotal sacks.
2. Joe Burrow withstands the pressure from the Titans front seven
The Bengals offensive line will be up for yet another test this season, as it will meet a Titans defense that finished regular season play with 43 total sacks.
Still, Burrow has shown to be unfazed by pressure from an opponent’s front seven. In the Bengals’ playoff victory over the Raiders, he was pressured on 27.8 percent of dropbacks, but it did not halt him from throwing a pair of touchdown passes and connecting with rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for 10 completions.
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The second-year Cincinnati passer should excel under pressure against a vaunted Titans front seven.
1. Bengals give it a good run but fall short in the end
The Bengals should put up a grand fight against the Titans, but they will watch them celebrate another trip to the AFC Championship game.
In the big picture, it sure would not be a surprise to see both promising AFC squads battle it out in a low-scoring matchup.
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