Titans Preview Week 3: Rebound Opportunity Against Bengals

The Tennessee Titans (1-1) embark on a daunting two-game road trip, starting Sunday, Sept. 21 against the Cincinnati Bengals (2-0). Kickoff is scheduled for noon CDT at Paul Brown Stadium.

Last week against the Cowboys, Tennessee had an awful first half and couldn’t gain any momentum, losing 26-10 in the Titan’s first home game of the season at LP Field. One big red flag was the decision making of quarterback Jake Locker. The fourth year completed 18-of-34 passes for 234 yards with just one touchdown and two interceptions. His performance shouldn’t be the only thing to blame on the loss, but if Tennessee is serious about being a legit contender in this league, Locker needs to be better. Much better.

Titans’ fans will surely want to see more from Delanie Walker, who got Tennessee ran for 142 yards and the one touchdown was a 61-yard catch from Locker. If the offense continues to struggle again, the Titans’ will be cooked before halftime.

Looking at Cincinnati, the reigning AFC North division champions last season with an 11-5 record that earned a playoff berth for the third straight year. Sports Illustrated just rewarded the Bengals the top slot in their weekly Power Rankings for the first time ever. So these aren’t cute kitties to mess around with.

At home last week, the Bengals cruised to a 24-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. In doing so, they racked up 472 yards of offense, including 302 passing yards and 170 yards on the ground. Quarterback Andy Dalton completed 15-of-23 for 252 yards with a touchdown, while running back Giovani Bernard rushed for 90 yards on 27 carries and scoring one touchdown.

If Tennessee wants to make themselves taken seriously, they have to move the chains, eat up clock and keep Cincy’s offense off the field. Locker needs to be sharp, because if he wants to keep his job, he can’t let another letdown repeat.

Sunday’s game will be televised regionally on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. On the radio, tune into The Titans Radio Network 104.5 The Zone.

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