Bengals vs. Titans playoff x-factor: Strong o-line showing one more time

The offensive line of the Cincinnati Bengals had taken a lot of flak throughout the 2021 season and some of it was certainly deserved. But when the unit needed to step up, they came up big. Look no further than their pass-block win rate courtesy of ESPN in the Wild Card win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

A major 73.9 percent when their season average was under 50 percent. That’s huge, especially against a Raiders team that had done pretty well in terms of getting to the quarterback, namely edge rusher Maxx Crosby, whom we talked about during the week in the lead-up to the game.

Crosby did have a sack, as did DT Quinton Jefferson. But in total, the Raiders sacked Joe Burrow just those two times and only hit him five times. The result was Burrow going 24/34 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and a QB rating of 110.4.

But now the stakes get higher and if the Bengals are going to reach the AFC Championship Game, that pass protection must continue. The Tennessee Titans had 43 sacks during the regular season, tied for ninth in the league with the Cleveland Browns. Three players had at least 8.5 sacks, led by Harold Landry with 12, followed by Denico Autry’s nine and Jeffrey Simmons with 8.5.

It’s a fierce front seven down in the Music City. But if the Bengals can keep up their recent hot streak up front and allow Burrow and the gang to do their thing, the Titans just might be singing the blues on Saturday night.

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