Stock up, stock down following Titans loss to Bengals

The rematch of last year’s divisional round playoff game did not favor the Titans, as they fell 20-16 to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Titans struggled offensively, and defensively, had no answer for the Joe Burrow/Tee Higgins connection with Higgins racking up 114 yards on 7 catches and a touchdown that proved to be the deciding score.

Not to mention an awful penalty at the end of the game that ruined any chance of a Titans comeback.

Now, the Titans go to Philadelphia next week for a matchup with the NFC-leading Eagles as they try to get back on the winning track.

Let’s take a look at whose stock is up and whose is down following a tough defeat in Nashville.

Stock up: Treylon Burks

Burks made one of the biggest plays of the game when Derrick Henry fumbled into the end zone following a 70-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter.

Burks followed the play all the way down the field and made a great effort play to fall on the ball as it went into the end zone to give the Titans a touchdown and a 10-3 lead.

I’m not sure many thought that would be the way Burks scored his first touchdown in the NFL, but it was a big play nonetheless for the rookie.

Aside from that, Burks had a big 52-yard catch in a one-on-one situation downfield and had a solid performance on the day.

Stock down: Titans rushing attack

The Titans run game has not been great the last few weeks and that trend continued today against the Bengals.

The offensive line struggled to open holes for Derrick Henry and the King was barely able to get anything going past the line of scrimmage.

The Bengals entered the game ranked around the middle of the league in rushing yards allowed, allowing around 117 rushing yards per game and almost 4.5 yards per carry. Henry only managed 38 yards on 17 carries, a measly 2.2 yards per carry.

Stock down: Red Zone Offense

The Titans have generally been good in the red zone offensively, but against the Bengals, the Titans struggled with blocking, play-calling, and execution as the Titans couldn’t get into the end zone once they got inside the 20.

The Titans ended up kicking four field goals from the red zone, converting three of them.

When you’re that close to the end zone, you have to come away with touchdowns to win games. The Titans couldn’t do that against the Bengals and it showed on the scoreboard with the Titans only managing 16 points on the day.

Stock up: Tre Avery

The undrafted rookie defensive back out of Rutgers had a pretty solid performance on the day, with a pair of pass breakups and otherwise playing solid coverage.

With Terrence Mitchell out, Avery stepped up in a big way in pass coverage and finished with a pair of tackles.

Avery has strung together a pair of good performances and is earning more playing time.

Stock down: Titans pass rush

The Titans pass rush has looked good in recent weeks, but against the Bengals, Joe Burrow had plenty of time to throw on a number of dropbacks and was even able to scramble to give himself more time or pick up yards on the ground.

The Titans registered just one sack with DeMarcus Walker getting to Burrow, but the front seven struggled for the most part to consistently pressure Burrow like the unit had in previous weeks.

This is a group that clearly misses Denico Autry.