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Season over: Tennessee Titans fall 19-16 in AFC divisional round game to Cincinnati Bengals

The Tennessee Titans were rested, healthier than they’ve been all season and had Derrick Henry back.

None of that mattered.

The Titans saw their season come to an end Saturday as they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 19-16 in the AFC divisional round at Nissan Stadium. Bengals placekicker Evan McPherson made a 52-yard field goal as time expired following Ryan Tannehill's third interception.

It marked the second year in a row Tennessee had its season end in the postseason at home. The Titans fell to the Ravens in last year’s wild-card round at Nissan Stadium.

Saturday also marked the second time the Titans have lost in the divisional round since 2017, when they lost to the New England Patriots.

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Here are a few quick takeaways from the playoff loss:

Ryan Tannehill blows it; not enough from offense

The Titans’ offense has been known to have slow starts, but it also has found its rhythm late in games.

On Saturday, the former happened. But Tennessee didn’t get enough of the latter.

With the score tied at 16, Tannehill’s interception gave the Bengals the ball back with 20 second left, and Cincinnati turned that into the game-winning field goal.

Midway through the third quarter, with the Titans trailing 16-6, running back D’Onta Foreman rattled off a 45-yard run to set up Tennessee with first-and-goal at the 9. But Tannehill, targeting receiver Chester Rogers, was intercepted by cornerback Mike Hilton. It was Tannehill’s second interception in the game.

But later in the period, after Amani Hooker’s scooping interception set up Tennessee at the 27, Tannehill was able to redeem himself. He threw a 33-yard pass down the sideline to star receiver A.J. Brown for the game-tying touchdown.

There wasn’t enough of those kinds of plays, though.

Outside of a nine-play, 84-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, the Titans’ offense struggled in the first half. Tannehill, targeting Julio Jones, was picked off on Tennessee’s first play from scrimmage by Bengals safety Jessie Bates. The Titans punted on their next three possessions.

Pass rush dominant

The Titans’ loss squandered a historic effort from the Titans’ pass rush.

The Titans entered the game with one of the NFL’s pass rushes, ranking ninth in both sacks and pressures.

The Bengals entered the game with one of the NFL’s worst pass-protecting offensive lines. Quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked a league-high 51 times.

Just as the numbers on paper suggested, the Titans dominated upfront defensively.

Tennessee harassed Burrow to the tune of nine sacks, tying the NFL’s playoff record. It had three sacks in the first quarter and five by half, making him just the third quarterback to be sacked at least five times in the opening half of a playoff game since 1991, according to The Associated Press. The last Tennessee sack of the first half ended the Bengals hopes for a touchdown late in the second quarter.

Tennessee had two other sacks in the first half nullified by a penalty and a Cincinnati timeout.

How Derrick Henry looked

Henry had 20 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Henry at halftime had 10 carries for 30 yards and the score, which came on a Wildcat play. With first-and-goal at the Cincinnati 3 and 6:21 left in the second quarter, the star running back took a direct snap and ran into the end zone for the Titans’ first touchdown of the game.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball during the third quarter of an AFC divisional playoff game at Nissan Stadium Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 in Nashville, Tenn.
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball during the third quarter of an AFC divisional playoff game at Nissan Stadium Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 in Nashville, Tenn.

It was Henry's first touchdown since an Oct. 18 win over the Buffalo Bills at Nissan Stadium.

Ben Arthur covers the Tennessee Titans for The USA TODAY Network. Contact him at barthur@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @benyarthur.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Season over: Tennessee Titans fall 19-16 in AFC divisional round to Bengals