The Cincinnati Bengals win without Ja’Marr Chase against 20:16 against the Tennessee Titans and are still on course for the playoffs.

Munich – The Cincinnati Bengals win after a curious ending with 20:16 against the Tennessee Titans. Joe Burrow led his team to a narrow victory with 270 yards and a touchdown, counterpart Ryan Tannehill threw for as many as 291 yards but couldn’t find a receiver in the end zone.

Defence dominates on both sides

On the first drive, Joe Burrow and his offense slowly fumbled their way into the game. An offensive pass interference by Chris Evans resulted in a long third down and the Bengals had to punt. But the Titans offence around star running back Derrick Henry also left the field without a point.

The defenses on both sides continued to dominate. It was also noticeable that both teams mainly relied on the passing game in the first quarter. The first highlight followed as the clock ran out: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine snatched a 25-yard pass out of the air in the second story. However, nothing more than a field goal followed. The first for the new Titans kicker Caleb Shudak.

In return, Evan McPherson provided the first scoring drive of the Bengals and equalised from 47 yards to 3:3. Then things got wild. Henry fumbled the ball into the end zone just short of the goal after a monster run-after-catch. Tennessee’s Treylon Burks had the presence of mind to throw himself on the ball and still scored the first touchdown of the game.

Cincinnati down on referee luck?

This opened the scoring. Cincinnati also discovered their own running game and Samaje Perine equalised with a nine-yard touchdown just before the break. The Titans missed a chance to regain the lead with a missed kick as the clock expired.

After the break, the Bengals turned the game around with a field goal before Tennessee tied the game at 13-13 in another defensive-minded quarter. The decision came on the next drive. Burrow threw the egg for 29 yards to Tee Higgins. According to the referee, Higgins pushed his defender away from him and scored the touchdown to make it 20-13.

Defence buck seals defeat

Tennessee could only shorten the score by a field goal and left the defence with the task of stopping Burrow again. But a momentous penalty gave the Bengals the game-deciding first down.

With the win, the Bengals improve to 7-4 and remain in the race with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North crown. Tennessee slips to 7-4, but continues to lead the AFC South in commanding fashion and is on course for a playoff berth.

Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins

As expected, the Miami Dolphins had little trouble against the Houston Texans, winning easily 30-15. By halftime, the score was already more than clear – 30-0 Dolphins lead, touchdowns poured in on the ground, through the air and via turnovers.

Tua Tagovailoa completed 20 passes for 278 yards in the first 30 minutes alone. He ended up with 299 yards because his backup Skylar Thompson was also allowed to play. Opposite Kyle Allen had a rather mediocre day with 215 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Most of his yards came in the second half.

The Dolphins now have an 8-3 record with the win and remain tied with the Buffalo Bills. Houston now has a 1-1-9 record heading into the first pick in the upcoming draft.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cleveland Browns

In what may be Jacoby Brissett’s last start for now, he showed his skills once again for the Cleveland Browns. Starting next week, Deshaun Watson could make his debut. He rushed for 210 yards, a touchdown and an interception to lead the Browns to a 23-17 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nick Chubb added a strong 116 rushing yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime after tight end David Njoku had just tied the game with seconds left in regulation. Tom Brady added 246 yards and two touchdowns, but on the ground the Buccaneers were virtually a non-factor.

Cleveland improves its record to 4-7 with the win, but still has little chance of making the playoffs in the AFC North. Tampa Bay is negative again, but still leads the NFC South with a 5-6 record, which would currently put them in the playoffs.

Denver Broncos at Carolina Panthers

Sam Darnold made the most of his opportunity to lead the Carolina Panthers to a 23-10 win over the Denver Broncos. The quarterback threw for 164 yards and a touchdown. He got support especially from the rushing duo D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, who contributed 178 yards on 41 carries.

Russell Wilson finished with 142 yards and a touchdown, but also went down three times and got only two scoring drives. Denver remains one of the worst teams in the league at 3-8, while Carolina at least improves to 4-8 – meaning anything is still possible in the NFC South.

Atlanta Falcons at Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders just won’t let up in the NFC East and celebrate the next victory. Taylor Heinicke and Co. won 19:13 at the Atlanta Falcons. The quarterback only achieved 138 yards through the air, but also delivered two touchdowns to the man – with one interception.

On the other side, Marcus Mariota threw for 178 yards but led the Falcons to only one touchdown and also had an interception in the statistics. With that, Atlanta also failed to capitalise on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ slip-up, but the Falcons still have a chance to win the division with a record of 5-7. The Commanders remain fourth in the NFC East at 7-5, but still have their eyes on the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars

The game started with a bang and almost ended with one. Due to a thunderstorm, the game started late, but then it was still able to be played at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville. Justin Tucker could have been a hero once again, but missed the record 67-yard field goal as the clock expired. That also sealed the surprising 27:28 defeat.

Lamar Jackson put on a show with 254 passing yards and 89 rushing yards, but had to admit defeat to his counterpart Trevor Lawrence today. He delivered 321 yards to his receivers – 145 to Zay Jones alone – and found his teammates three times in the end zone. Marvin Jones Jr. scored a touchdown with 14 seconds left to make it 26:27 – but instead of overtime, the Jaguars wanted the win, which Zay Jones got with a successful two-point conversion.

Baltimore suffered a painful defeat and slipped to 7-4 in the NFC North, while Jacksonville won their second game in the last three and are now 4-7.