Burrow, Bengals hold off Titans 20-16

The Cincinnati Bengals have a knack for beating the Tennessee Titans at their own game — by playing more physically and forcing the opponent into mistakes at the wrong time.

They did it again Sunday.

Joe Burrow threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 13:42 left to put Cincinnati ahead to stay, and the Bengals held off the Tennessee Titans 20-16 on Sunday for their third straight victory and fifth in six games.

“This is the kind of game that great teams win,” Burrow said. “It’s not always going to be pretty. This is the NFL. You’re playing really, really good teams on the opposing end. You’ve got to find ways to win, and we’re starting to do that.”

The defending AFC champion Bengals (7-4) won the rematch of their divisional playoff victory over Tennessee despite not having running back Joe Mixon because he hadn’t cleared the concussion protocol. Also, receiver Ja’Marr Chase, the reigning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, missed a fourth straight game with a hip injury.

Cincinnati has won three straight over Tennessee and five of six. Burrow, sacked nine times by Tennessee in that divisional loss by the Titans, went down only once. Burrow threw for 270 yards, and Higgins finished with 114 yards on seven catches as the Bengals moved into a first-place tie with Baltimore in the AFC North.

Evan McPherson kicked a pair of field goals for the Bengals. He connected on a third with 1:53 left, but Titans lineman Kevin Strong was flagged for unnecessary roughness after landing on the long snapper. That nullified the kick but allowed the Bengals to run out the clock.

The Titans (7-4) equaled their most points allowed since a Week 2 loss at Buffalo as their two-game winning streak ended. This was just the second time since that loss that Tennessee gave up more than 17, matching the 20 points allowed in an overtime loss at Kansas City.

Cincinnati smothered NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry yet again, holding him to 38 yards, his second-lowest total of the season. Tennessee tried to rally by throwing to Henry, and he had a career-best 79 yards receiving.




Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) his hit by the Tennessee Titans defense during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. Burrow was called for intentional grounding on the play. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)