The Tennessee Titans punched the Cincinnati Bengals in the mouth on Sunday, comfortably beating them by a score of 27-3.
This was a dominant showing in all three phases. The offense was electric, the defense smothered the Bengals’ passing attack, and Tennessee’s special teams simply did its job.
The coaching staff also deserves its fair share of credit for getting the squad ready to play after the type of dreadful performance in Week 3 that could’ve deflated the entire team had they let it.
Instead, Tennessee is back to .500 with a 2-2 record and tied for the best record in the AFC South, with a massive division game coming next weekend against the Indianapolis Colts.
This is the type of team the Titans are capable of being when they’re rolling, and it’s what many in the fanbase expected to see throughout the year. It may have taken a few weeks to get there, but this could be the start of something special if Tennessee is able to ride this momentum going forward.
Now that the adrenaline from today’s victory is starting to calm down, it’s time to discuss some of the narratives that will undoubtedly be brought up throughout the week.
This article is going to discuss two truths and two overreactions following Sunday’s win, so let’s not waste anymore time and dive right into it.
Truth: Derrick Henry is still elite
Titans running back Derrick Henry faced a lot of criticism heading into Sunday‘s game after he averaged less than two yards per carry in Week 3.
The NFL on Fox crew even went as far as to say that Henry’s run as a top running back was essentially over prior to today’s game. he immediately made them, along with any other doubter, eat crow.
Henry rushed for 122 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries while also adding a clutch touchdown pass to his stat line by the end of the day.
The former Offensive Player of the Year averaged over five yards per carry and routinely ran through wimpy tackles throughout the game.
CLASSIC DERRICK HENRY 😤 pic.twitter.com/4qB0wXC1sT
— PFF (@PFF) October 1, 2023
Whenever Henry is given the room by his offensive line to build up a full head of steam, he’s still one of the biggest problems to deal with for an opposing defense.
Their only chance at stopping The King is when the Titans’ running back is met in the backfield, subsequently forcing Henry to stop his feet to try and make guys miss.
As long as No. 22 is allowed to play his game, he’s undoubtedly still one of the best ball-carriers in the league.
Overreaction: Andre Dillard and the offensive line are fixed
I can admit, I was as critical as anybody when it came to Dillard following last week‘s disastrous performance against the Browns, largely because he was making an already difficult task that much harder by constantly getting in his own way.
This week, things couldn’t have been more different.
Dillard wasn’t perfect by any means. He definitely had some poor reps in the run game, Trey Hendrickson beat him a few times in pass protection, and he also had a penalty that ultimately negated a big play.
Rock da baby @BJHill5#CINatTEN | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/pCuvXcwNlq
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 1, 2023
Nonetheless, he held his own in a game that many expected him to struggle, considering the level of pass-rusher he was set to face.
Dillard noticeably did a much better job of using the snap count to his advantage, routinely getting out to the junction point and putting himself in position to battle rather than losing the reps before contact was even made.
The entire offensive line deserves credit, though. Pass protection throughout was much better and the run-blocking was vastly improved from what we saw over the last three games.
This was the epitome of a winning effort by Dillard and the entire offensive line and it’s undeniably a step in the right direction. However, this doesn’t guarantee it will last, nor does it mean this offensive line is fixed going forward. We need to see more of this kind of effort to declare that.
Truth: This offense can be very good if given time to operate
In both of the Titans’ victories this season, Tennessee has dropped 27 points as an offense, which is something they only did once a season ago. In Week 4, 24 of those points came in the first half alone in what ended up being a lopsided contest.
Truthfully, the Titans probably would’ve scored more had they been in a much more competitive game where they were forced to remain aggressive. Regardless, this is the type of offense the Titans are capable of being when they have time to operate.
Henry and Tyjae Spears are electric playmakers out of the backfield, Ryan Tannehill is potent with the play-action attack, and DeAndre Hopkins and the rest of the pass-catchers are capable of making big plays when they get the ball.
Meanwhile, Tim Kelly showed he can be one of the most lethal play-callers when the team can execute.
Tim Kelly is in his bag.
Jeffery Simmons at fullback. Derrick Henry THROWS a TD to Josh Whyle. #Titans lead 24-3. pic.twitter.com/1S72OAxFvb
— Sam Phalen (@Sam_Phalen) October 1, 2023
If the Titans can continue to adequately complement their defense and special teams with this level of offensive output, they’re going to be a hard team to beat, regardless of who is on the other sideline.
Overreaction: The secondary has finally arrived
The Titans’ pass defense held the Bengals’ offense in check throughout this game. The trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd were held to just 118 receiving yards between the three of them, while Joe Burrow only totaled 165 yards on 20 completions.
Higgins may have prematurely left the game early, but he was limited to just 19 yards on two catches before his injury. More importantly, they Titans did not allow Cincinnati to hit on the type of back-breaking X plays they had been allowing over the first three games.
They made the Bengals methodically drive down the field, and eventually, Tennessee’s front seven was able to stop the offense in its tracks.
Update on this: Bengals finished with a 32% PBWR today. Higher than 22%, but still very bad. https://t.co/XJ5I4iTK4l
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 1, 2023
Unfortunately, this hardly means we’re going to see this level of pass defense going forward. Tennessee certainly did its job, but to say that Burrow was fully healthy would be both naive and deceitful.
Adding to that, this effort may not have been possible without a sensational effort from the defensive front, which pressured Burrow for a full 60 minutes.
If the Titans really want to prove that the secondary is back to being a high-quality group, they must find a way to start stacking these types of performances each and every week.
Should they do so, this defense is about to take off, because that truly is the only real weakness on that side of the ball.
