The Bengals needed overtime to get past the Titans, and the final score told the story of a defense that spent too much of the day scrambling. Tennessee put up 36 points, and there were rough stretches all over the field. Still, Dexter Lawrence kept flashing like the one constant Cincinnati could count on.
Lawrence was a wrecking ball against the run, finishing with 5 run stops, the most on the team. He was living in the backfield and making life miserable for Tennessee’s ball carriers. One first-half snap summed it up perfectly: he dragged the runner down with one arm.
There was probably a holding call to be found on that play, too, but it never changed the outcome.
His pressure total was modest by his standards - just 2 on the day, his lowest mark of the season - but one of them ended up being the play that forced overtime. Without that sack, the Titans were getting close to field goal range for their kicker. Lawrence was also dealing with double teams all afternoon, which has become part of the weekly routine for him.
And when Tennessee tried to handle him with just one blocker, it usually went badly for them. More often than not, that lineman was getting driven straight back into his own quarterback.
Lawrence also had a hand in the Bengals’ second-half safety, even if Demetrius Knight Jr. was credited with it. Knight got the official stat, but Lawrence was right there helping finish the job. In a game that went to overtime, those were the kinds of plays that swung everything.
There was even a moment when it looked like Lawrence might score himself. After a strip sack by Boye Mafe, Lawrence scooped up the fumble and started rumbling upfield before being tripped up. For a big man, there’s nothing quite like seeing him get loose.
By the end of the day, Lawrence had 2 pressures, a sack, a fumble recovery, 5 run stops and 7 total tackles. The Bengals paid a steep price to get him, giving up the 10th overall draft pick in the trade this season, but he’s making that move look more and more justified.
He’s played at a level that belongs in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. And even with 36 points allowed, this was the kind of game Cincinnati probably loses in years past.
In Other News...
Chase Brown Is Giving The Bengals Something This Offense Needs
The Bengals needed a steady hand out of the backfield in their overtime win over the Titans, and Chase Brown kept giving them exactly that. He was involved as both a runner and a receiver, finishing with eight catches for 46 yards and 12 carries for 55 yards, the kind of workload that shows how much the offense is leaning on him in key moments.
What has made Brown more than just a useful change-of-pace option is the growing trust around him in pass protection, which has become a real factor in how Cincinnati can deploy its offense. With the Bengals looking for stability behind the line and more balance in the backfield, Browns expanded role feels like one of the more important developments to watch as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Face Trade Deadline Pressure To Fix Two Key Weaknesses
With the trade deadline approaching, the Bengals are being pushed to look hard at two spots that have drawn attention all season: running back and outside linebacker. Cincinnati has reportedly been weighing roster upgrades, and the conversation has already turned to names that could help balance out the offense and give the defense a little more juice off the edge.
One league observer has pointed to Tampa Bay running back Kenneth Gainwell and Washington edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson as possible fits, which at least shows the kind of profile Cincinnati may be chasing. Gainwell landed with the Buccaneers on a new deal after leaving Pittsburgh, while Chaisson has flashed pass-rushing ability on a short-term contract in Washington, leaving the Bengals with a familiar deadline question: whether the right move is available now, and how aggressive they want to be in fixing both problems. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Trade Deadline Buzz Centers On A Backfield Upgrade Price
The Bengals have been linked to a familiar kind of trade-deadline conversation: whether to add more punch to the backfield before the stretch run. Among the names floating around, New York Jets running back Breece Hall stands out as the sort of player who could change the tone of Cincinnatis offense if the price is right, especially with other possible targets such as Jonathan Taylor and Tony Pollard also in the mix.
Halls appeal is easy to understand for a team looking at the market with urgency. He has dealt with limited action this season, but his recent production has shown the kind of versatility that makes a running back attractive in todays NFL, and his contract situation only adds another layer to the calculus. For the Bengals, the question is less about whether a talent like that would fit and more about what it would take to pry him loose before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]