The Tennessee Titans head to Cincinnati in Week 8 with a lot to prove and little reason to be trusted. At 1-6, and coming off last week’s blown two-score lead against the Cleveland Browns, Robert Saleh’s first team in Nashville is staring at a trip that feels more like a referendum than a fresh start.
Still, there’s at least one path to an upset.
Tennessee has forced at least one interception in each of its last two games, and the defense has collected three picks over that span. Two of those interceptions came from Cor’Dale Flott, who has quickly become one of the brighter offseason additions.
That matters because the Bengals can light up a scoreboard. Cincinnati sits fourth in the NFL in points per game at 27.2 and touchdowns per game at 3.2, and the passing game is as efficient as it is aggressive. The Bengals rank top 10 in pass play percentage, completion percentage and pass yards per game.
So if the Titans are going to walk out with a win, the secondary has to do more than just create a turnover here and there. Tennessee needs something close to consistency against a pass-heavy attack. If Saleh’s defensive backs can keep Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins from taking over, that would also give the Titans a better shot at slowing Chase Brown on the ground.
That’s the cleaner version of Tennessee’s upset case. The harder part is obvious: the Titans’ offense has to show up.
Cincinnati has shown it can be vulnerable against weaker opponents, as seen in its narrow one-score win over the 1-6 Miami Dolphins two weeks ago. But the Bengals also just crushed the Baltimore Ravens 35-13, and in both of those games they scored more than 30 points. That’s the pattern Tennessee has to worry about - when Burrow and company get rolling, the opposing offense has to keep pace.
That’s where the Titans have been failing. Tennessee ranks 31st in both touchdowns and points per game.
In just about every passing-category area where Cincinnati sits near the top, the Titans are near the bottom. The Bengals have also allowed 20-plus points in four of their six games, which leaves the door open if Tennessee can get enough from Cam Ward.
Ward’s best chance may be to build off last week’s 24-point output, but even that may not be enough if the Titans don’t get more production than they’ve shown so far this season. Tennessee may need more juice from its quarterback than it has received to this point.
My read is that the Titans fall to 1-7.
The trends are hard to ignore. Carnell Tate is the main target in an offense that otherwise hasn’t done much.
The defense can create early takeaways, but it hasn’t been able to finish with late stops, especially when tackling becomes an issue. Ward tends to improve after a rough first half, but by the time Tennessee opens things up, the game is usually slipping away.
I expect those patterns to show up again in Week 8. I don’t see a blowout, but with the Titans on the road against one of the league’s best offenses, this looks like a step too far for Saleh’s group.
In Other News...
Jaguars Trade Buzz Now Centers On One Name Fans Wont Like
The trade chatter around the AFC South has started to widen, and it is no longer just about obvious deadline-style upgrades. League sources say multiple NFL teams have checked in on Colts receiver Josh Downs and Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., while there is also speculation that Jacksonville could pursue Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne if it decides to make a move on the defensive front. For the Titans, that matters because any shift in the division can change the market and the urgency around the moves still waiting to be made.
Jermaine Johnson, Tony Pollard and Alontae Taylor have all been mentioned by league sources as potential trade candidates, which keeps Tennessee in the middle of the deadline conversation whether it wants to be or not. Even with the names around the league getting tossed into rumors, the bigger question for the Titans is whether they intend to stand pat or use the coming stretch to reshape the roster before other teams set the pace. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Tight End Plan Is Becoming A Real Brian Daboll Problem
Through seven weeks, the Titans offense has lingered near the bottom of the league in points per game, and the heat has naturally fallen on offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for how little the unit has produced. One of the quieter but increasingly important questions inside that struggle has been the tight end spot, where Tennessee invested in Daniel Bellinger on a three-year deal with hopes he could help stabilize both the pass game and the run game.
Instead, Bellingers impact has been muted, with modest receiving production and uneven blocking grades, and he has not yet formed the kind of complementary pairing with Gunnar Helm that Tennessee probably envisioned. The result is a usage puzzle that keeps circling back to Dabolls play-calling and personnel decisions, because the Titans do not just need more from the position group, they need a clearer answer on how it is supposed to function. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Trade Deadline Talk Just Put Multiple Veterans In Play
With Tennessee sitting at 1-6, the trade deadline conversation around the Titans has shifted from what they might add to what they might be willing to move. ESPN analysts have pegged Jermaine Johnson II, Tony Pollard and Alontae Taylor as names to watch, with each fitting the kind of profile that can draw interest when a team is looking to reshape its roster and stockpile future assets.
Mike Borgonzi is already being linked to a broader rebuild, and the draft-capital angle makes the next few days worth monitoring closely. For a Titans team that needs help in more than one area, the question is less about whether veterans are on the table and more about which ones Tennessee ultimately decides are too useful to move, or too valuable not to consider. [Read more 🡒]