National Football League
Cincinnati 31, Tennessee 20
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 1, 2020
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Temperature: 48°
Head Official: Scott Novak
Attendance: 9712

Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Week 8, stopping the Tennessee Titans 31-20 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

Burrow completed 26 of 37 passes with no interceptions, leading Cincinnati (2-5-1) to its best performance of the year. The Bengals were outgained 441-367, but toppled the AFC South leaders by committing no turnovers and coming up with key defensive stops to frustrate Tennessee.

Derrick Henry rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Titans (5-2), which lost their second straight game after a 5-0 start. Ryan Tannehill hit on 18 of 30 throws for 233 yards with two scores and an interception, while Corey Davis grabbed eight passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.

Tennessee, however, fell into a first-place tie with Indianapolis in the South because its defense again struggled. The Titans have allowed at least 27 points in five of their last six games. That included Burrow's 6-yard touchdown pass to Giovani Bernard with 7:30 left in the game that essentially sealed the outcome by making the score 31-14.

Cincinnati set the tone with its first drive, eating more than five minutes leading to Randy Bullock's 33-yard field goal. The Bengals pushed their lead to 10-0 when Samaje Perine plunged 1 yard for a touchdown with 10:26 left in the first half.

Tennessee got on the board behind Henry. He accounted for 46 yards on seven carries during its first touchdown drive, finishing the 75-yard march with a 3-yard run at the 6:04 mark to cut the deficit to three points.

Cincinnati answered back with a drive of 5:32, putting points on the board 32 seconds before halftime. Bernard, starting for the injured Joe Mixon, ran it in from the 12 to make it 17-7 at the intermission.

Burrow increased the advantage to 24-7 with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd just 1:05 into the fourth quarter.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Tennessee   Cincinnati
Derrick Henry Player Giovani Bernard
18 Attempts 15
112 Yards 62
6.2 Avg Yards 4.1
1 Touchdowns 1
21 Long 12
Receiving
Tennessee   Cincinnati
Corey Davis Player Tee Higgins
8 Receptions 6
128 Yards 78
16.0 Avg Yards 13.0
1 Touchdowns 0
27 Long 24
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Tennessee 441 218 223 3 0 0 0.0 0
Cincinnati 367 118 249 4 1 1 1.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Cincinnati will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Bengals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .250 after a loss.
  • Tennessee will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Titans have a W/L % of .800 after a win and .000 after a loss.