Key Matchups: Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans

Will the Bengals win their first road playoff game in team history?

Mike Santagata | Jan 22, 2022

There are plenty of key matchups to watch for that could decide today's divisional round matchup between the Titans and Bengals. Some may seem obvious, but others have flown under the radar a bit.

From the trenches to the coaching, here are the matchups to watch for on Saturday at Nissan Stadium.

Joe Burrow vs Mike Vrabel and Shane Bowen

The Titans' defense is possibly the most balanced in the league in terms of play calls. Joe Burrow is one of the most cerebral quarterbacks in the league who makes a ton of adjustments at the line of scrimmage. He will face a defense that calls every coverage shell at a pretty high rate. Not only that, but they also disguise their coverage really well. The Titans will bring pressure, but only with four players, utilizing creepers.

Can Burrow figure out what they are doing in time for him to take advantage of it? Will he be able to identify free runners and pressure? It's going to be a battle of the minds on the field.

Bengals Offensive Line Communication vs Titans Stunts And Twists

The Titans like to stunt and twist their defensive line as a way of generating pressure. On these plays, the Bengals' offensive line is going to be tested not physically, but mentally. They will need to work together to take care of these twists which is something they have not all done well this season. Quinton Spain and Jonah Williams seem to have good chemistry passing off stunts, but the younger, right side of the offensive line struggled last week. If the Bengals can pass off these twists then they stand a good shot at winning this game.

Quinton Spain, Trey Hopkins, and Hakeem Adeniji vs Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry

This matchup favors the Titans. There is no way around it, but if the Bengals interior three can make those two really work for their pressure then they will have won the match. It’s not about completely stopping those two monsters, but instead about being able to slow them down long enough for Burrow to find the open man. The Bengals receivers also have to win their matchup for this, but I am more confident in that.

Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins vs Jackrabbit Jenkins and Kristian Fulton

Unless the Titans completely don’t trust their cornerbacks in this matchup, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins should see single coverage at points during this game. There will certainly be moments where they face a Cover 2 shell and cloud coverage, but they also face quarters, Cover 3, and Cover 1.

All of those coverages leave the perimeter receivers singled up (to different degrees) against their respective cornerback. If the Bengals are going to win this game it will take some explosive plays from their two stud wide receivers.

Trey Hendrickson vs Taylor Lewan

This matchup is a strength-on-strength matchup. Taylor Lewan is a good left tackle that is better in pass protection than the run game. Trey Hendrickson is a Pro Bowl defensive end who doesn't move around. This will be a key matchup to see if Hendrickson can get a few wins on the Titans’ left tackle during obvious pass downs. If he does, he can create havoc like he did last week against the Raiders.

D.J. Reader vs Ben Jones

I mentioned this one in my article previewing the Titans offense, but with the way that Tennessee tries to run the ball, D.J. Reader will be key. When the Titans run their wide zone against an odd front team, such as the Bengals in their base 3-4, the center is solo against the nose tackle. Ben Jones is a good player, but Reader is a great player. If he can control the center on these wide zone plays, they have a good shot at eliminating that play from the Titans' repertoire.

Bengals Defense vs Derrick Henry

I am putting the entire Bengals' defense as the matchup for Derrick Henry because it’s going to take all 11 guys to try to bring him down. They need to make sure that he does not bust off any explosive plays and the best way to do that is to tackle him before he gets going. Henry is an amazing running back, so trying to bring him down solo is always going to be an issue. Rather than trusting one guy to bring him down, they should utilize a committee to gang tackle him. If they can slow Henry down it’s going to be a good day for the Bengals.

Chidobe Awuzie vs A.J. Brown

I’m not sure how much man coverage the Bengals are going to play and the Titans like to send A.J. Brown on a lot of crossing routes to get him the ball in space. Even with this in mind, Chidobe Awuzie is going to be the man when it comes to defending the Titans' number one receiver. This is another strength-on-strength matchup that could be key in deciding the game. Awuzie has been stellar this season, but Brown is a Pro Bowl receiver in his own right. It will be tough for the Bengals to win if he has a big day.

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