Humphries Sustains Head Injury in First Half at Cincinnati

Titans wide receiver took a blow to the head in the final minute of the first half, taken to the locker room on a cart.

It was a scene you never want to see in a football game.

With 21 seconds remaining in the first half, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill delivered a strike to veteran wide receiver Adam Humphires deep down the middle of the field. Humphries failed to complete that catch after he absorbed a nasty blow to the head and neck area from a Cincinnati Bengals defender and collapsed. He hit his head hard on the turf when he went down.

No flags were thrown on the play for targeting or unnecessary roughness. 

"We were all emotional about that," quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. "Just seeing him being defenseless and getting hit in the head and neck area -- that's something that, I think, is trying to be removed from the game. So, to see that happen to him in a defenseless position really got everyone emotionally. Definitely had to take a couple seconds there to reset."

Humphries was nearly motionless for minutes as coaches and trainers surrounded him. A stretcher was brought out onto the field, but the sixth-year veteran ultimately got to his feet and got himself on to the cart that took him to the locker room.

He immediately was ruled out for the second half.

"He's up moving around," coach Mike Vrabel said following the game. "I don't think he feels great, but he's moving around but he's doing better than it looked like he did when he left the field."

Humphries has 22 receptions for 219 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He did not have a catch on two targets against the Bengals.

Humphries joined the Titans in 2019 after four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He missed six games last season with an ankle injury and caught just 37 passes for 374 yards and two touchdowns, his worst numbers since his rookie year.

An undrafted free agent in 2015, Humphries emerged as a consistent, sure-handed wide receiver. In those four seasons, he caught 219 passes for 2,329 yards and nine touchdowns. His best season to date was 2018, when he set career highs with 76 catches for 816 yards and five touchdowns.

The Bengals defeated the Titans 31-20.