Nashville, Tennessee (PSF) — Last week’s Bengals-Titans matchup proved to be just as ugly as last year’s AFC divisional playoff game.

This game showed strong defensive stands by both teams. The first five drives of the game resulted in punts. In fact, there were more possessions ending in a punt than with more points on the board.

The Bengals backup running back Samaje Perine has proved himself to be a strong starting option, filling in for Joe Mixon who has missed the last two games with a concussion. After last week’s three touchdown game, Perine finished this game with 58 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. If I were Mixon, I would start worrying about the starting job being passed over to Perine. 

The Bengals defense showed out this week, only letting up one touchdown throughout the entire game. They stopped Derrick Henry’s run game before he could take over, allowing him just 38 yards rushing. They struggled stopping the pass offense on deep balls with Chidobe Awuzie out with injury, but ultimately, it didn’t matter. They were easily able to keep Tennessee out of the endzone. 

Joe Burrow had an average game for his standards, throwing 22-of-37 for 270 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Tee Higgins had 114 yards on seven receptions with a touchdown, and tight end Hayden Hurst had 6 receptions for 57 yards. Tyler Boyd has been quiet in recent games, which is uncharacteristic given the strong start he had at the beginning of the season. 

This is the Bengal’s third straight win without star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on the field. He’s been out for five weeks with a hip injury, but during a press conference today, he said he will be back this Sunday, and only sat out against Tennessee as an extra precaution. They face off against the Chiefs on Sunday evening in Cincinnati, which will be a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship. It will be their toughest matchup of the season, and having Chase back to full strength is necessary for their success. 

The Bengals last six games of the season is the third hardest remaining schedule in the NFL, but they are ready to fight. Joe Burrow says these games will show everyone how good of a team the Bengals are and will prove that they are a championship caliber team. 

Division rival Baltimore lost last week to the Jaguars, which helped the Bengals tie for first place atop the AFC North. The Bengals need to stay focused as they are the team everyone wants to dethrone as the reigning AFC Champions.