The Titans offense was a mess in Week Three, but things went a lot better for them in Week Four.
Derrick Henry ran for one touchdown and threw for another, Ryan Tannehill threw a touchdown of his own, and the Titans rolled up 355 yards in a 27-3 rout of the Bengals on their home field. The result lifts the Titans to 2-2 on the season and drops the Bengals to 1-3.
Tennessee couldn’t crack the 100-yard mark while losing to the Browns by an identical 27-3 score last Sunday. Their offense needed 15 plays to pick up 40 yards and a field goal to open the game, but they scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to take control of the game.
Henry ran 22 times for 122 yards — a season-high — and Tannehill hit on 18-of-25 passes for 240 yards. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine caught the touchdown from Tannehill and he also had key completions to DeAndre Hopkins and Chris Moore as the team didn’t miss Treylon Burks much on their most productive offensive day of the season.
The key for the Titans will be finding a way to consistently get that kind of production from their offense. They’ll get a chance to see if they can do it in Indianapolis next weekend.
The Bengals have their own offensive shortcomings to sort out. They had a 72-yard drive to open the game with a field goal, but never generated that kind of momentum for the rest of the afternoon. Joe Burrow was pressured often and his calf injury likely didn’t help his efforts to avoid those rushers. Jeffery Simmons, Azeez Al-Shaair, Teair Tart, and Arden Key all had multiple quarterback hits and Trevis Gipson forced a fumble on a sack in the second half.
Burrow and company will be in Arizona next weekend and they need to find a way to get their offense in shape as soon as possible. Wide receiver Tee Higgins left the game with injured ribs and an extended absence for him won’t help that effort.