The Tennessee Titans will face one of their stiffest tests of the 2022 campaign in Week 12 when they welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The reigning AFC champs, the Bengals come into this game as one of the hotter teams in the NFL after having won four of their last five games.
And, thanks to their recent surge that comes after a 2-3 start, the Bengals now find themselves in the seventh and final playoff spot, and nipping at the heels of the first-place Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
Like the Bengals, the Titans got off to an 0-2 start, but since then Tennessee has won seven of eight, and that’s despite dealing with an insane amount of injuries.
Tennessee is cruising towards its third-straight division title and now has its sights set on the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Despite the good vibes coming into this game, the Titans still have as many reasons for optimism as they have for concern. Let’s see what they are.
Optimism: Titans' success on long rest
Since Mike Vrabel took over in 2018, the Titans are undefeated (9-0) when they have extra time in between games. This week qualifies as one of those games after the Titans played on Thursday night last week.
Rest does the body good, next up Cincy…
The Titans are 9-0 on long rest in the regular season since Mike Vrabel became the head coach in 2018 #Titans @RamonKaylaWill
— Kayla Anderson (@KaylaAndersonTV) November 21, 2022
Optimism and concern: Bengals' offense
The Bengals’ offense comes into this game red-hot, with the unit averaging 31.4 points per contest over its last five. Cincinnati owns the No. 3 scoring offense in the NFL, also, with a mark of 26.5 points per game.
Making the Bengals’ offensive run of late even more impressive is the fact that they haven’t had superstar wideout Ja’Marr Chase for three of those contests.
In Week 12, the Bengals might have to face Tennessee’s elite defense without two of its best weapons, as Chase’s (hip) status remains up in the air, as does running back Joe Mixon’s (concussion).
There has been some optimism from the Bengals that Chase will play, and he has gotten in a pair of limited practices the first two days of the week, but Mixon has sat out both sessions.
If either or both miss this game, Tennessee’s defense will catch a bit of a break for sure, but Cincinnati’s offense is still talented enough to overcome both sitting out.
Optimism and concern: Titans' pass-rush
As good as the Bengals’ offense has been overall, protecting Joe Burrow has still been an issue, with Cincinnati surrendering 34 sacks, the fourth-most in the NFL.
While this is a different offensive line than the one the Titans got nine sacks on in the playoffs last year, it’s a group that can still be exploited.
Despite not having Harold Landry all season, the Titans have still been able to get after the quarterback with success. However, Tennessee’s pass-rush is venturing into uncharted waters this week.
Defensive lineman Denico Autry, who has been the team’s best pass-rusher in 2022 and one of only three players to play in every game since 2021, is likely to miss his first game as a Titan this week thanks to a knee injury, which is a blow to Tennessee’s pass-rush.
However, it looks like outside linebacker Bud Dupree will return to action, and guys like Jeffery Simmons, Rashad Weaver, Mario Edwards, Teair Tart and DeMarcus Walker can help pickup the slack for Autry’s absence.
The Titans’ pass-rush is key in this game, as the Bengals’ strength is throwing the football. Tennessee getting pressure on Burrow consistently is vital, especially if the Titans don’t have Kristian Fulton’s services on the back-end.
Concern: The kicker situation
The Titans’ kicker situation is up in the air going into Week 12 after Randy Bullock sat out Week 11 with a calf injury.
The veteran was able to upgrade his practice participation from a “did not practice” on Wednesday to “limited” on Thursday, but Thursday’s injury report was an estimation.
If he can’t go, it’s possible Tennessee turns to rookie Caleb Shudak, who was designated to return from the PUP list earlier this week.
While Shudak might offer a bigger leg, he has zero NFL experience and would be making his debut in a big game. There’s simply no telling what the Titans will get from him.
Optimism: Titans' passing attack
After struggling through the first eight games, the Titans’ passing attack has been much better of late, with two of its best games of the 2022 campaign coming in the last two weeks.
Week 11 was the Titans’ best through the air by far. Ryan Tannehill was sharp en route to a season-high 333 yards, and the wide receivers, led by rookie Treylon Burks, finally stepped up to help the offense.
Making the last two games more impressive is the fact that Tannehill hasn’t been 100 percent. The veteran signal-caller still might not be all the way there, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing at a high level.
It remains to be seen if the last two games have been enough for the Bengals to respect the pass more, but if not Tannehill and Co. should have a lot of room to operate and might have to carry this offense once again.
Cincinnati certainly hasn’t been elite against the pass this season, but the team does rank 13th in the NFL and is giving up 209.6 yards per contest.
Pass protection is always a concern for the Titans’ offense, but the good news here is that the Bengals have not been good at getting after the quarterback, with just 16 sacks in 11 games.
While the last two weeks are all well and good, the Titans also need to keep stringing together performances like those before they can convince us that things are fixed.
Optimism and concern: Titans' rushing attack
While Derrick Henry has found multiple ways to get involved in the offense the last two weeks, he hasn’t been able to get much going on the ground, with Henry averaging 3.0 yards per carry in that span.
Much of that has to do with teams selling out to stop Henry knowing the passing attack has struggled, but run-blocking hasn’t been that good, either.
The Bengals enter this game as a middle-of-the-road defense against the run, allowing 117.1 yards per contest, ranking 18th in the NFL. This is a matchup Henry should thrive against, and he’s due for a big game.
Hopefully the box won’t be as stacked as it has been of late, but chances are it will be. In that case, the passing attack has to make the Bengals pay and may have to carry the offense once again if Henry is stifled upfront.
