What We Saw: Week 4

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Bengals @ Titans

Final Score: Bengals 27, Titans 3

Writer: Justin Mello (@JustinMelloNE on Twitter)

The Titans pulled off the upset in stunning fashion as they dismantled the Bengals in Nashville on Sunday. Joe Burrow and the offense couldn’t seem to get anything going as the Titans’ pass rush got to the quarterback consistently. On the other side of the ball, the Titans were in firm control and ran the ball with ease as they wound down the clock in the second half. The game itself was relatively boring, but there were plenty of fantasy implications.

Three Up

Derrick Henry – The king is back. Henry looked as good as he ever has as he broke tackles and fought for extra yardage against the helpless Cincinnati defense.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine – The veteran receiver contributed to multiple explosive plays and was a big part of the offense with Treylon Bruks out.
Ja’Marr Chase – Even with the Cincinnati offense looking as putrid as possible, Chase was force-fed. It is clear that the Bengals want to do everything they can to get him the ball.

Three Down

Joe Burrow – Something is wrong with Joe Cool. If he wasn’t an established elite QB already, he likely would have been benched by now.
Tee Higgins – Higgins has been one of the most negatively impacted players by Burrow’s struggles, and he now has a rib injury.
Chigoziem Okonkwo – Despite breakout hopes, Okonkwo was held to under 40 scoreless yards for the fourth week in a row.

Cincinnati Bengals

Quarterback

Joe Burrow: 20/30, 165 yards | 3 carries, 1 yard

Once again, Joe Burrow did not look like himself. In addition to the underwhelming stats listed above, he also lost a fumble on a strip sack. He looked very uncomfortable in the pocket as the Titans defenders consistently closed in on him. Most of his completions came on checkdowns, designed screens, or generally short throws. The calf injury could be a more serious problem than initially thought. Burrow and the rest of the Bengals’ offense look like a completely different unit from what they were the last couple of seasons.

Notes

Looked uncomfortable all game.
Lacked the confidence to take shots and throw downfield.

Running Back

Joe Mixon: 14 carries, 67 yards| 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards

The offense was dreadful today, but Joe Mixon provided brief sparks of hope. Predominantly taking handoffs out of the shotgun, Mixon was able to burst through the middle of the defense for chunks of yardage on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, the offense as a whole couldn’t stay on the field long enough to provide Mixon with a larger workload or meaningful goal-line opportunities. Talent and explosiveness don’t seem to be the issue for Mixon even in his seventh year, but the overall struggles of the offense are concerning.

Trayveon Williams: 1 carry, 4 yards

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Ja’Marr Chase: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 73 yards

The top receiver for the Bengals was regularly used on screens and other manufactured touches close to the line of scrimmage. Ja’Marr Chase looked quick and agile with the ball in his hands but was unable to rip off any chunk plays. Chase claimed that he is “always open” (with some expletives mixed in) after the game, and I largely agree with his assessment. His routes looked crisp and he successfully created separation, but Joe Burrow and/or the offensive coaching staff seemed to have major reservations about stretching the field and unleashing the passing game. This offense is a mess, but it’s not Chase’s fault.

Tee Higgins: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards

Unfortunately, the day was cut short for Tee Higgins, who didn’t play the entire second half due to a rib injury. After struggling with drops last week, Higgins got involved early and started his day off with a nice gain on a slant route. Higgins bobbled the pass at first but was ultimately able to haul it in and shed his case of the yips. Burrow didn’t look his way too frequently after that though, operating as more of a check-down merchant than a gunslinger.

Notes

Bobbled a catch, but didn’t suffer from drops again.

Missed Opportunities

Was targeted in the end zone, but was unable to bring the ball in against tight coverage.

Tyler Boyd: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 26 yards

Tyler Boyd was effective as an occasional safety valve working out of the slot, but he didn’t do much with the ball in his hands. It was a pedestrian day for the long-time Bengal.

Tanner Hudson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards

Tennessee Titans

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill: 18/25, 240 yards, TD, INT | 7 carries, 11 yards

It was far from an elite outing for Ryan Tannehill, but he played worlds better than he did in Week 3 or Week 1. He was efficient while finding receivers working the middle of the field on play-action passes. He also showcased the ability to throw the deep ball well, finding both DeAndre Hopkins and Chris Moore on deep shots. He took full advantage of the stacked boxes the Bengals were showing him, and he did enough to pick up the win.

Notes

Had a lot of time to throw; the Titans did well in protection which they’ve struggled with at times this season.
Took more snaps out of the shotgun and pistol than he usually does.

Missed Opportunities

Slightly overthrew DeAndre Hopkins on a flea-flicker down the middle of the field.

Running Back

Derrick Henry: 22 carries, 122 yards, TD | 1 target, 1 receptions, 11 yards | 1/1, 2 yards, TD

It was a performance fit for a king. Derrick Henry looked like the vintage version of himself in this blowout. I won’t lie; I was beginning to question if there was anything left in the tank for Henry following a bad performance against the Browns, and he even had a somewhat sluggish start against the Bengals as well. The first play where he looked like the Derrick Henry we all know and love was his first-half touchdown run. He looked elusive and powerful as he broke multiple tackles and rumbled toward the left pylon for the score. From that point on, it was the Derrick Henry show. He regularly emerged from scrums and moved the chains when it looked like there was no yardage to be had. He even threw a touchdown pass by the goal line at the end of the first half after lining up as the quarterback in an empty set. It was a truly incredible day for the multi-time rushing champion. The Bengals didn’t have an answer.

Notes

Benefited from the success of the passing game; was more effective once the play action passes started working.

Tyjae Spears: 5 carries, 40 yards, TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 18 yards

After playing the majority of snaps in Week 3, Tyjae Spears played more of a traditional backup role in this one. This is largely due to the fact that the Titans were leading for essentially the whole game and were able to run the ball. Nonetheless, the rookie looked great with the ball in his hands and seemed to burst past the line of scrimmage before any defenders even had the chance to get their hands on him. His best play actually came after he dropped the ball on a pitch. He picked it up and reversed directions to sprint past the defense and pick up 26 yards. He plays with a very different style than Henry, but there is no questioning his explosiveness. It was another impressive showing for Spears in a limited role.

Missed Opportunities

Was targeted on a designed screen that could have gone for big yardage, but it was broken up at the line of scrimmage.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

DeAndre Hopkins: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 63 yards

It was a solid but forgettable day for DeAndre Hopkins. The highlight of his day came when he won in one-on-one coverage down the right sideline to break free for a 38-yard completion. On that play, he looked like prime Nuk as he completely juked out his defender and left him in the dust. There weren’t highlight reel-worthy plays all afternoon for Hopkins, but he was able to showcase his elite talent in small doses.

Notes

Didn’t win consistently, but showed the ability to beat man coverage.

Missed Opportunities

Was slightly overthrown on a flea-flicker where he was targeted in the back of the end zone, but prime Hopkins probably could have hauled it in for the touchdown.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 51 yards, TD

The long-time Titan looked as good as I’ve ever seen him in this one. Even when Nick Westbrook-Ikhine didn’t get the ball, he appeared to be getting open. He benefited from linebackers biting on play-action passes where he was able to find openings down the middle of the field. He also looked faster than expected on his 13-yard touchdown where he caught the ball near the line of scrimmage and proceeded to outrun the entire defense. He was an important part of the offense in the Titan win.

Notes

Faster than I remember him ever being.
Stretched the field effectively, but also did a great job of finding openings in the defense off play-action passes.

Chigoziem Okonkwo: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards

The starting tight end of the Titans, Chigoziem Okonkwo, was primarily used as a blocker against the Bengals, but he also was effective as a dump down option. He tried to showcase his athleticism by hurdling Cam Taylor-Britt, but he ultimately came up just short of clearing Cam Taylor-Britt’s extended arm.

Missed Opportunities