Bengals 19-16 Titans: late field goal wins it for the Bengals, summary, scores, stats, highlights | NFL Playoffs, Divisional Round
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Bengals 19-16 Titans - summary
The Bengals are going to the AFC Championship game after an interception with 20 seconds left allowed them to get within field goal range - just, 52 yards - and McPherson slotted it home for the 19-16 win.
Bengals quarterback Burrow was sacked a playoff record equalling NINE times but did enough to see the Bengals home when they needed it.
The Titans (Henry and Brown) scored two touchdowns to the Bengals one (Mixon) but McPherson's solid boot was the difference on the night. He popped over three field goals in the first half.
The other game this evening sees the 49ers take on the Packers, follow the action there with Dane Arlauckas.
Clutch.
McPherson, coming in clutch for the Bengals with the winning 53-yard field goal!
FINAL SCORE
I said it before and I say it again...McPherson is a hero for the Bengals. He carried the game and he won the game! The Bengals will advance to the AFC Conference championship game!
McPherson 52-yard field goal attempt is GOOD!
THE BENGALS WIN IT!!!
Bengals take their last timeout. 3rd and 10 at the 34.
Bengals take second timeout. 2nd and 8 at the 32.
A huge win for the Bengals! Burrow makes a quick pass to Chase and they are within field goal range!
Tannheill throw intended for Westbrook is tipped and INTERCEPTED by Wilson!
Two-minute warning
At 3rd and 8, Burrow is sacked YET AGAIN...9 times total now (third time by Simmons). At 4th and 18 now, the Bengals punt it away.
Burrow's 8th sack...this poor guy has got to be hurting.
The drama continues. The Titans at 4th and 1 give it to Henry but he is stopped and the Bengals will take over at their own 35.
Sack number seven...
Burrow getting to really know this Nashville turf...
Tannehill remains calm in the pocket, connects with Brown for 20 yards and the 1st down at the 36!
Burrow under pressure and he's nearly sacked once and keeps moving backward to eventually be sacked by Dupree for a loss of 16 yards that puts the Bengals at 4th and 19. They get nowhere, they punt it back to the Titans.
Cincinnati is using the run game but the Titans are catching on...
Look at this incredible pass and catch by Tannehill to Brown!
End of third quarter
The Titans turn things around and make it a tie game with 15 seconds left in the 3rd quarter! Burrow throws an interception, picked by Hooker, to give the Titans another opportunity after Tannehill threw one earlier (that the Bengals couldn't maximize on). Tannehill and the Titans take full advantage with a huge throw to Brown into the end zone!
Bullock PAT is GOOD!
TOUCHDOWN TITANS!!!
Tannehill connects on a GREAT throw to Brown for 33 yards!
After the review, the play stands and Tennessee gets the ball at the Bengals 27!
The play is under review. Hooker looked to have caught it but it also looked like the ball may have hit the ground before he had control.
Another INTERCEPTION but this time it's the Titans defense!
The Titans get far enough along, but these defenses are doing too good of a job for many high scores. Bullock gets them the field goal to make it a one-score game with 1:40 left in the third quarter.
Bullock 34-yard field goal is GOOD!
Tannehill makes a DEEP pass and it's to Brown again this time and they're at the Bengals 22 after a 40-yard gain!
Well, the Bengals got that interception but went 3 and out. This continues to be a defensive game.
The Bengals do get a Taunting penalty, which sets them back 15 yards but the interception stands and the Bengals get the ball back from the Titans just as they were approaching the Bengals' goal line.
OH NO! After that huge play by Foreman, Tannehill's throw is tipped and INTERCEPTED by Hilton!
The Titans are following suit, using their star RB as Henry keeps taking the ball further down the field, but it is FOREMAN who takes it allllll the way down the field 54 yards!!
The Bengals are able to finally get a TD to start off the second half and this time, it's all about Mixon. He takes them down the field and into the end zone with 9:34 left to play in the 3rd quarter.
McPherson PAT is GOOD!
TOUCHDOWN BENGALS!
Mixon takes it up the middle 16 yards for the Bengals first touchdown!
There ya go, Burrow! He scrambles and runs it up the middle to get the 1st down!
I am starting to feel quite bad for Burrow. I don't know how many more sacks he can take! A loss of 6 yards puts the Bengals at 2nd and 16 at the Titans 34.
Bengals start us out on offense in the second half and they're using Mixon in the run game and it's working
Without this guy, the Bengals would be nowhere right now. McPherson is a hero.
End of 1st half
Burrow pass complete to Uzomah to Titans 24 for a nice 32 yards but that'll end the first half.
Bengals have 3 field goals. Titans have 1 TD and no extra point.
Bengals are up by 3 at the half.
Under pressure, Burrow eventually throws it away
Bengals hurry bu can't get out of bounds to stop the clock so Burrow spikes it at 2nd and 10 at the 44
The Titans go 3 and out. This game is all defense so far.
Looks like the Bengals will hope to survive off field goals after all. After Burrow's 5th sack of the game sets them back even further, they go for a 58-yard attempt and "Money McPherson" makes the field goal and the Bengals take back the lead with 1:41 left in the half.
McPherson 54-yard field foal is GOOD!
False Start penalty on the Bengals has to hurt. Brings them to 3rd and 14 and what happens next? Another Burrow SACK for a huge loss of 12 yards. Ouch all around!
Two-minute warning
That was a close one! Burrow connects with Higgins for 20 yards but he loses control of the ball and it comes loose. It's recovered by Chase and the Bengals are safe with the ball at the Titans 21 with 2 minutes to go in the half.
Burrow is not getting the protection he needs. He barely avoids another sack but the Bengals are able to get the 1st down at their 38
It's a tie game after the Titans get the first touchdown of the game after 9 plays and 84 yards with a 3-yard run by Derrick Henry on his first return since week 8. The Bengals penalty put them in perfect position to go for 2 close to the goal line instead of the extra point, but it was no good, as Henry was stopped just short.
The Titans will give it to Henry again and he is SO close, but he is down JUST short and the 2-point attempt FAILS.
Before the extra point, the Bengals are charged with a Too Many Men on the Field penalty, so the Titans are in position to go for 2 and they will
TITANS TOUCHDOWN!
And it is King Derrick Henry himself with an easy 3-yard run into the end zone!
King Henry gets the Titans to 1st and Goal
Tannehill fakes it and passes it 13 yards to Julio Jones and theyre in the red zone!
Tannehill throws a deep pass and it is CAUGHT by Brown for 41 yards and they are into Bengals territory!
Held to 4th down yet again by this Titans defense, the Bengals are forced to punt again
Phew, Burrow gets the pass to Higgins for a 20-yard gain and a 1st down to recover from that fourth sack of the game
Poor Burrow...he's sacked again at 3rd and 6
Who needs a backpack?
One per quarter and two at half-time?
End of first quarter
Tannehill scrambles away on 3rd and 7 at the Titans 43, but it is sloppy. He gets a pickup of 5 yards to put them at 4th and 2 at their own 47 to end the quarter.
So far, this game has been mostly defense. The Bengals had one explosive 57-yard play by Ja'Marr Chase but it wasn't enough to get into the red zone. They settle for a second field goal with a few minutes to go in the first quarter.
Held to 4th and 7, McPherson makes the 45-yard field goal. Are the Bengals going to try to rely on winning with field goals today? I'm not sure that's going to be enough.
Uh ohhhh a third SACK on Burrow
Burrow and Chase make the connection and he runs it 57 yards!!
Derrick Henry gets the Titans enough yards for a 1st down...once. After that, the Bengals defense was all over him and the rest of the Titans o-line as well. They set them back some yards and they end up at 4th and 11. Rather than attempting a 58-yard field goal, they punt it away and the Bengals will get another chance to get down the field.
Bengals Huber punts it 48 yards and Harris calls for the fair catch but Bengals player Flowers collides with him and the officials call Fair Catch Interference. The Titans will get 15 yards, and the 1sdt down at their own 40
Landry SACKS Burrow....off to a bad start for the QB. Bengals go 3 and out again
Ouch
Oh, the Bengals defense ALSO came to play today. Titans may have Henry back but the Bengals are all over him. Not only that, but they get a SACK on Tannehill to bring them to 4th and 16! Bengals will get the ball back yet again after the punt.
What a way to start the game! Tannehill throws an interception right off the bat. Bengals get a field goal in response just 3 minutes into the game.
They are at 4th and 6 so they'll get to try a very doable 38-yard field goal and it's GOOD! That was a helpful Delay of Game for them.
Delay of Game penalty on the Titans, so they'll get to redo the 3rd down
The Bengals got the ball back from the Titans immediately to start at the Titans 42 but the Titans defense means business today. They hold the Bengals to 3rd and 9 and then...a SACK on Burrow!
Oh my goodness!!! First play of the game is an INTERCEPTION!!!
Bengals won the toss and the Titans will start us off on offense!
Here we go...moments away from kickoff!
Good sportsmanship
Ya love to see it! Quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Ryan Tannehill fist bump prior to the Divisional Game.
Perfect weather in Nashville
Both teams should benefit from the nice weather they're having in Nashville, Tennessee. It'll be chilly, with temperatures in the mid-30s, but it should be sunny with very light winds, which works in favor of the pass game for both the Bengals and the Titans today.
The Bengals are perhaps the surprise package of season, but can they put a stop to the Titans who are the No. 1 seed coming into the game?
Bengals look for first road playoff win
The Bengals have in fact never won a playoff game on the road. Not only that, but it's not typical for the number one seed to lose in the divisional round. This could be the night both those things change.
If the Bengals o-line can keep the Titans defense at bay, Joe Burrow can do what he does best - make the deep passes and connect with Ja'Marr Chase. The Titans defense are tough, so Burrow will need all the protection he can get.
I'd say the Titans are happy to have Derrick Henry back!
The threat of dynamic Burrow/Chase duo
Bengals QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja'Marr Chase have been playing together since college and have only improved their connection together.
Chase set a rookie record of 81 receptions for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season. In the Bengals Wild Card game vs the Raiders, Chase had nine receptions for 116 yards, becoming the fourth player in Bengals history to have a 100-yard receiving game in the playoffs.
The Titans defense needs to keep the Bengals off the field early. Their 33:29 time of possession was second in the NFL in the regular season. They will also need to get to Burrow so he's not able to connect on those deep passes. Burrow was actually the most-sacked QB in the league in the regular season with 53 total. If the Titans utilize their four-man pass rush, they should be able to at least put the pressure on Burrow.
Derrick Henry back for the playoffs!
The Titans RB was on track as a possible MVP contender before he broke a metatarsal in his foot on Halloween and was out for the rest of the season.
Today, he makes his return vs the Bengals. He has recovered from surgery and now has a metal plate in his foot. He will also play with a metal plate in his shoe, which will help stabilize the foot and avoid further damage.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Titans vs Bengals NFL Divisional Round playoff game!
The AFC top seed Titans will host the no.4 seed Bengals in Nashville at Nisaan Stadium today at 4:30 p.m. ET. AS USA will be here to provide commentary, scores, and updates before, during, and after the game.