Ryan Tannehill Needed 'A Lot of Therapy Sessions' to Get Past Playoff Loss to Bengals

The veteran led Tennessee to the No. 1 seed and then struggled against Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals upset the Titans 19-16 in the Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs last season. 

Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions in the contest, which is a big reason why Cincinnati won their first road playoff game in franchise history. 

“It’s a deep scar,” Tannehill said Tuesday. “It was a lot of sleepless nights. Every time I closed my eyes I was rewatching the game in my head. Didn’t get a whole lot of sleep for weeks and weeks after the game. I was in a dark place. It took me awhile and a lot of work to get out of it. It wasn’t something that went away easily, and it’s still a scar I’ll carry with me throughout the rest of my life.

“Just like a cut on your arm. It starts off as a wound. You’re able to heal from it, and it turns into a scar. It never leaves you, but it’s always there, and it can remind you. It fuels me. It fuels me.”

Tannehill added that this offseason was the first time he had to lean on someone to pull him out of a "dark space." He had gone to therapy prior to the loss, but it's helped him following a disappointing end to the 2021 season. 

“I’ve kind of worked through it,” Tannehill said. “Therapy, you know, talking to people. Time. All of the above. It was tough. It was tough. It’s not a situation you want to be in. You prepare so long and so hard to put yourself in that position to go chase your dreams, and to go out and play beneath the standard that I have for myself, it stunk. It hurt. A lot sleepless nights, a lot of reflecting, rewatching the game over and over in my head. But, yeah, it took a lot of work to get through it. It wasn’t a day. It wasn’t a week. It was weeks and weeks and weeks to get through it. A lot of sessions. At this point, I can look back at it and recognize it for what it was and learn from it and move on.”

The Titans and Bengals are both hoping to contend in a much improved AFC conference this season. Cincinnati hosts Tennessee at Paul Brown Stadium. The date and time for the matchup hasn't been announced. 

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