Keeping the hope alive.
The Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive, leaving Nashville with a 37-27 win over the Tennessee Titans.
It was a great day for some and a tough day for others. Let’s look at the winners and losers from today’s contest:
Winners
Trey Hendrickson
The NFL’s sack leader had another very good day vs. Tennessee. Spending most of the day lined up across from rookie left tackle J.C. Latham, Hendrickson finished the day with a strip-sack, two tackles and was giving Latham fits all game. Aside from the sack, he drew a couple of false start penalties of Latham as well.
Tee Higgins
Higgins always seems to play well when he returns to his home state of Tennessee, and the same was true today. Late in the 2nd quarter, Higgins leaped into the air to haul in a 38-yard touchdown pass, showcasing exactly what he brings to this Bengals offense. Higgins finished with five receptions for 88 yards and the touchdown.
Cam Taylor-Britt
Taylor-Britt has bounced back nicely after some struggles in the first half of the season, and Sunday, he hauled in his second interception in the last three games late in the second quarter to set the Bengals up in scoring position before halftime. He appears to be trending back upward after being benched in November. Taylor-Britt finished with four tackles (four solo) and the interception.
Mike Hilton
Hilton just seems to have big games against the Titans. Seemingly all day long, Hilton found himself making tackles in the Titan backfield, and then he hauled in a diving interception off of a Josh Newton deflection. Hilton finished with six tackles (five solo), three tackles for loss, a pass defensed, and an interception.
Geno Stone
Don’t look now, but Geno Stone has interceptions in back-to-back games. With 7:24 left in the third quarter, Stone not only picked a pass off but ran it all the way back for a touchdown. Stone is slowly but surely looking like the player the Bengals signed him to be and maybe securing his roster spot for 2025.
Josh Newton
Newton hauled in his first career interception Sunday when he snatched a pass out of the air with 13:05 left in the fourth quarter. The rookie fifth-rounder has had his share of ups and downs since being forced into a starting role but finally got his elusive first pick today. Newton finished with four tackles (four solo), two passes defensed, and an interception.
Losers
Devin Cochran
Cochran was forced into starting action with Orlando Brown Jr., who was out with a fibula injury, and backup Cody Ford, who was out with an illness. Cochran was tasked with lining up against Arden Key for most of the day, and Key got the better of the matchup. Cochran drew some false start penalties and allowed pressure to get to Joe Burrow more than any Bengal fan likes to see.
Cordell Volson
Volson’s struggles continued Sunday. On the Burrow to Higgins touchdown pass, Volson’s man barreled into Burrow, knocking him to the ground. Later in the game, Volson allowed a pressure that forced Burrow to throw the ball away, forcing the Bengals to settle for a field goal before the half. He’s just not cutting it.
Alex Cappa
A tough day for both guards, as the Bengals continue to feel pressure from the interior of the offensive line. Cappa was getting driven back more than you’d like to see and allowing defenders to collapse the pocket around Burrow. To add insult to injury, Cappa was the victim of a vicious stiff arm from T’Vondre Sweat as he was returning a fumble.
Jordan Battle
Battle honestly played a good game but made a crucial mistake as he was running a recovered fumble back to the goal line. Just a step outside of the end zone, Battle lost control of the ball, leading to a fumble out of the back of the end zone that gave Tennessee the ball back. That play could have put the game out of reach much earlier.
