Titans (5-1) at Bengals (1-5-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: CBS
Danny Sheridan’s line: Titans by 6
Titans’ keys to victory: Tennessee won its first five games by leaning on a heavy dose of RB Derrick Henry. No reason to change up what works, especially against one of the worst run defenses in football. Doing so will help make life easier on QB Ryan Tannehill behind a line that is without injured star OT Taylor Lewan. It’ll also keep a budding Bengals offense off the field.
Bengals’ keys to victory: Cincinnati has to find ways to stretch the field with emerging star QB Joe Burrow, especially against a Titans team that put up 31 or more points in four of the first five games. The offense has gotten moving in the right direction, with Burrow completing 35 of 47 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns in Week 7. With RB Joe Mixon likely still a question mark with a nagging foot injury, it’s more important than ever for the play calling to get creative in order to compensate for a struggling offensive line. Giovani Bernard filled in ably for Mixon.
Matchup to watch: Titans CB Malcolm Butler vs. Bengals QB Burrow. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick hasn’t faced a player like Butler often, who figures to be responsible for shadowing the likes of A.J. Green and Tee Higgins. Burrow will have to avoid Butler or risk changing the complexion of the game.
Who wins? The Titans are one of the NFL’s best teams and are strong in areas where the rebuilding Bengals are weak. Unless Burrow stuns with a season-best performance, Tennessee’s ground game figures to trample all over Paul Brown Stadium.
Titans 30-20