Bengals Edge Titans 43-36 in OT Behind Burrow’s Five TDs

The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Tennessee Titans 43-36 in overtime Sunday, overcoming an early 13-point deficit behind Joe Burrow’s 462 passing yards and five touchdown passes. A game that featured three Burrow interceptions, a productive Tennessee rushing attack and 28 combined fourth-quarter points finally belonged to Cincinnati after the Bengals scored the only points of the extra period.

The Week 8 matchup at Paycor Stadium rewarded the 66,209 fans in attendance with an unpredictable afternoon. Cincinnati improved to 5-2, while Tennessee slipped to 1-7 despite taking an early lead and staying level through regulation.

Tennessee Starts Fast, Cincinnati Answers

The Titans owned the opening quarter, building a 13-0 advantage while keeping Cincinnati off the scoreboard. That cushion disappeared in the second quarter, when the Bengals scored 14 unanswered points to take a 14-13 halftime lead. In just one quarter, Cincinnati turned a difficult start into a narrow advantage.

Neither team established much separation after halftime. Cincinnati outscored Tennessee 9-8 in the third quarter, taking a 23-21 lead into the fourth. The Titans then posted 15 points to the Bengals’ 13 over the final regulation period, leaving the teams tied 36-36 and requiring overtime.

With both offenses producing throughout the second half, the extra period carried an obvious question: which team could finally create a decisive margin? Cincinnati supplied the answer with seven unanswered overtime points. Tennessee’s comeback to level the score through four quarters had extended the contest, but the Bengals delivered the winning finish.

Key Performers

• Joe Burrow, Bengals: 38/48, 462 YDS, 5 TD, 3 INT. Burrow completed 79.2% of his passes, delivering exceptional production while also giving Tennessee opportunities through three interceptions. His five touchdown passes were central to Cincinnati overcoming its early deficit.
• Tee Higgins, Bengals: 10 REC, 155 YDS, 2 TD. Higgins led the game in receiving yards and averaged 15.5 yards per catch. His two touchdown receptions supplied a substantial share of Cincinnati’s scoring production.
• Tony Pollard, Titans: 21 CAR, 117 YDS, 2 TD. Pollard led all rushers, averaging nearly 5.6 yards per carry. His combination of yardage and scoring gave Tennessee a productive ground-game counterpart to Cincinnati’s passing attack.

NerdSports Stat: Cincinnati and Tennessee combined for 52 second-half points—exactly twice their combined first-half total of 26.

A Win With Room to Improve

Cincinnati’s passing production and overtime finish earned the result, but Burrow’s three interceptions remain an important part of the evaluation. The Bengals demonstrated they could overcome mistakes; reducing those turnovers would make the path to future wins less complicated.

At 5-2, Cincinnati strengthens its position in the AFC playoff picture before hosting Atlanta on November 8. Tennessee will look to turn competitive stretches into a complete result when it hosts Jacksonville on November 15, with a divisional matchup offering its next opportunity to improve a 1-7 record.

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