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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Like the remainder of his teammates, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
was intently monitoring the ending of the Baltimore Ravens-Jacksonville Jaguars sport on Sunday. When the Jaguars scored the game-winning two-point conversion, the room erupted with cheers because the outcome moved the Bengals right into a tie with Baltimore for first place within the AFC North.
Following Cincinnati’s 20-16 win in opposition to the Tennessee Titans, the Bengals have been fixated on getting again into the postseason, which was aided by the gritty win in Tennessee on Sunday.
“That is the sort of sport that nice groups win,” Burrow mentioned.
The sport in Nashville was a rematch of the 2 groups’ AFC divisional spherical playoff video games final season, when the Bengals knocked off the top-seeded Titans on their approach to ultimately successful the convention championship. That postseason run established how Cincinnati can be judged for the foreseeable future — being among the many favorites to make a Tremendous Bowl run within the AFC.
As soon as once more, the Bengals had been matched up in opposition to a Titans group that featured Derrick Henry, one of many league’s greatest working backs, and a Tennessee protection that’s among the many greatest in stopping the run.
The Bengals held Henry to 38 yards on 19 carries. On the opposite facet of the ball, Cincinnati rushed for 108 yards regardless of beginning working again Joe Mixon lacking the sport with a concussion.
“One factor this group took to coronary heart was how bodily this sport was going to be,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor mentioned after the sport. “And that’s a credit score to Tennessee as a result of that’s how they play. However our guys answered the bell at this time.”
Like final 12 months’s playoff win in Nashville, Sunday’s sport wasn’t a fairly one for Cincinnati. Half of its first eight offensive drives had been three-and-outs. However the Bengals had been in a position to be productive when it mattered.
With the sport tied at 13 coming into the fourth quarter, Burrow leaned on broad receivers Trenton Irwin and Tee Higgins for some key catches. Irwin had a 16-yard completion down the appropriate sideline that prolonged a drive that ended with a 27-yard landing that proved to be the game-winning rating.
Towards robust opponents, aesthetics are secondary to successful.
“That is the NFL,” Burrow mentioned. “You’re enjoying actually, actually good groups on the opposing finish. It’s not all the time going to be fairly on a regular basis. You’ve gotta discover methods to win and we’re beginning to do this.”
Cincinnati (7-4) received its third straight sport, all with out star broad receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who was withheld out of precaution as he continues to get well from a hip harm. After the sport, Taylor sounded optimistic about Chase’s probabilities to play subsequent weekend in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Titans was a barometer for the Bengals’ postseason aspirations in 2022. Getting into Week 11, 5 of Cincinnati’s remaining seven opponents had been ranked forward of the group within the convention standings, together with the Titans (7-4), the Chiefs, New England Patriots, Buffalo Payments and Ravens.
Cincinnati’s daunting end to the common season is among the the explanation why Taylor averted trying too far into the long run.
“We acquired one other huge one subsequent week [against Kansas City],” Taylor mentioned. “We’re most likely going to proceed to say that any more. No matter.”
Burrow mentioned the robust slate for the ultimate six video games of the common season can be an opportunity for Cincinnati to point out its “championship mettle.” When Bengals defensive deal with DJ Reader spoke to teammates the day earlier than beating Tennessee, he talked about being “battle-tested as a household” and relishing the possibilities forward of them.
Between Sunday’s win and Baltimore’s loss, the Bengals are again on even footing within the race for the AFC North title. And the trail to a second straight division title will characteristic groups trying to dethrone Cincinnati as AFC champions.
“If you happen to don’t see pleasure in that sort of alternative,” Reader mentioned, “folks pray for these sort of [opportunities].
“All the things we wish is in entrance of us. We simply gotta go f—ing get it.”
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