Recap: Red zone issues plague Titans in loss to Cincinnati Bengals

The Tennessee Titans will try to score redemption against the team that knocked them out of last season's AFC playoffs.

The Titans (7-3) host the Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) from Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS) in a rematch of last season's 19-16 Bengals win in the AFC Divisional Round that eliminated the No. 1 seeded Titans from Super Bowl contention. Both teams are again jockeying for playoff seeding; if the season ended today the Titans would be the No. 3 seed in the AFC and the Bengals would be the No. 7 seed.

This is the Titans' first chance at previous-season playoff redemption since 2018, when the Titans defeated the New England Patriots 10 months after the Patriots eliminated the Titans from the 2017-18 playoffs.

Cincinnati boasts some of the best skill-position players in the NFL, but there's some doubt about which of those players will be available. Bengals running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase have both been listed on the team's injury report this week, with Mixon working through concussion protocols and Chase rehabbing his way back from a hip injury that's held him out since Oct. 23.

The Titans have won seven of their last eight games. The Bengals have won four of their last five.

Tennessee Titans score updates vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Postgame links

INSTANT ANALYSIS: No playoff revenge for Tennessee Titans, who lose 20-16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals

GENTRY ESTES: Tennessee Titans stumped by those darn Cincinnati Bengals again. Here's why

GO AHEAD TD: Tennessee native Tee Higgins torches Titans in second half with go-ahead TD

Fourth quarter

FINAL: Bengals 20, Titans 16. That's a tough loss to take.

Kevin Strong's personal foul penalty ends Titans hopes

1:52 left: Joe Burrow taken down for no gain on third down. Evan McPherson is good from 31 yards out, BUT Kevin Strong is called for a personal foul for hitting the long snapper on the kick. Wow. Bengals get a first down.

That's the ball game.

You have to track back to the 3rd and 15 conservative play call to settle for a field goal down by 7 with 6:07 left. Titans never got the ball back.

2:00 left: Bengals will have 3rd and 11 from the Titans' 13 after the two-minute warning. Must-have stop for the Titans defense.

3:07 left: Tee Higgins wins another 1-on-1 battle, has a 29-yard catch against Kristian Fulton.

3:57 left: Trayveon Williams with a physical 17-yard run into Titans territory. Bengals have rushed for 112 yards, which isn't a big number but better than Titans opponents have managed of late.

6:07 left: Ryan Tannehill checks down on 3rd and 15. Caleb Shudak's 38-yard field goal is good. Interesting decision to not be more aggressive given the score and time. Titans were 7-15 on third down before that play.

Bengals 20, Titans 16.

8:48 left: Chig Okonkwo and a few Titans OL push the pile to the Bengals' 25, and it counts as a 17-yard catch for the Maryland rookie.

Titans in scoring range.

10:46 left: Ryan Tannehill scrambles for just enough to pick up a first down. Near midfield.

Tee Higgins TD puts Bengals ahead

13:42 left: Touchdown Bengals. Tee Higgins outmuscles Roger McCreary and wins the jump ball at the goal line.

PAT good. Bengals 20, Titans 13.

13:57 left: Not sure why Mike Vrabel challenged a Trenton Irwin catch. Looked like a catch inbounds on replay, and it stands for a Cincinnati first down.

15:00 left: Fourth quarter begins with a Joe Burrow dart to Tee Higgins on the right sideline for 24 yards. Cincinnati inside Tennessee territory.

Third quarter

46 seconds left: Chig Okonkwo has a third down pass bounce off of him, and it harmlessly falls incomplete. Titans have had issues in the red zone today. Related: Derrick Henry is gaining 2.1 yards per carry.

Caleb Shudak is good from 24 yards out. Titans 13, Bengals 13.

2:23 left: Treylon Burks bodies Cam Taylor-Britt for a catch. 52 yard completion. Add a roughing the passer penalty on top of it. Titans in business inside the Cincinnati 15.

2:35 left: Evan McPherson good from 38 yards out. Bengals lead for the first time today.

Bengals 13, Titans 10.

3:33 left: Amani Hooker called for a personal foul after contacting Joe Burrow while he slid.

Burrow called for intentional grounding on the next play.

4:27 left: Bengals starting to move the ball. It started with a Tee Higgins toe-tapping catch to move the chains. Then Samaje Perine carried for 22 yards on three straight carries.

8:28 left: One first down and done for the Titans offense. At least the third screen pass attempted today on third down, and Chig Okonkwo was stopped short of the first down marker.

Ryan Stonehouse with a 71-yard punt for a touchback. What a leg.

11:43 left: Bengals get into Titans territory, but La'el Collins is called for holding on a 3rd and 1 play. Tyler Boyd slips on 3rd and 10, and Cincinnati will punt.

13:45 left: The Titans go three-and-out to start the second half, with Sam Hubbard sacking Ryan Tannehill on third down.

Second quarter

4 seconds left: Caleb Shudak wide right from 35 yards out. Yikes.

Titans 10, Bengals 10 at halftime.

21 seconds left: Tannehill to Robert Woods moves the chains. Titans are inside the Bengals' 20.

No timeouts left for Tennessee.

53 seconds left: Dillon Radunz holding penalty will set Titans back. They were moving inside the Bengals' 30 before the penalty.

1:46 left: Good start to the Titans' two-minute drive, finding Nick Westbrook-Ikhine over the middle for 19 yards.

Samaje Perine TD ties the game before halftime

1:55 left: Samaje Perine wedges himself through a hole and into the end zone off the right side. Touchdown Bengals. 7-yard TD carry.

Titans 10, Bengals 10.

2:00 left: Joe Burrow scrambles and finds Trayveon Williams to convert on third down. First and goal, Bengals.

The two teams' running backs have combined for 135 receiving yards so far today.

7:20 left: Samaje Perine gains 32 yards on a short pass from Joe Burrow. Plenty of YAC on that play over the left side.

7:41 left: Punts traded after the Henry fumble. Bengals have not had good field position today. Credit to Ryan Stonehouse.

Derrick Henry fumble turns into a Treylon Burks TD

11:15 left: Derrick Henry is loose! But he fumbles! And Treylon Burks recovers in the end zone for his first NFL TD!

What a ride that play was. PAT good. Titans 10, Bengals 3.

That came on a screen pass, the second of the day that the Titans tried with Henry. Gotta think that was ID'd on film.

11:35 left: Bengals drive stalls out thanks to a Tee Higgins drop and a Joe Burrow incomplete pass on third down.

Evan McPherson is good from 47 yards out. Titans 3, Bengals 3.

12:48 left: Here come the offenses! Joe Burrow finds Hayden Hurst up the seam into Titans territory. Bengals driving.

14:10 left: Ryan Tannehill skies a third down pass over Robert Woods' head.

Caleb Shudak is good from 33 yards out on his first NFL kick. Titans 3, Bengals 0.

First quarter

End of the first quarter: Ryan Tannehill finds Nick Westbrook-Ikhine up the seam for 25 yards. Titans in the red zone as the quarter ends.

1:39 left: Austin Hooper on third down is a thing now. He finds the zone void and makes the catch for a first down into Bengals territory. Titans have been winning field position battle and need to cash in here.

4:24 left: DeMarcus Walker and Mario Edwards share a sack.

6:48 left: Bengals three-and-out.

7:56 left: A Ryan Tannehill false start and a batted pass stalls the Titans drive.

Ryan Stonehouse punts to the Bengals' 7. He has been a revelation this year.

9:35 left: Chig Okonkwo lined up outside against Eli Apple, and makes a first down catch near the right sideline.

12:26 left: Tee Higgins' 21-yard catch wiped away by offensive pass interference.

That results in a third and long, and Burrow throws incomplete. Bengals will punt.

13:39 left: Joe Burrow scrambles to midfield. Going to be the story of the day: How much can the Titans pressure Burrow?

15:00 left: Titans win toss, defer. Here comes Joe Burrow.

Pregame: Ja'Marr Chase out, as is Ben Jones

Inactives are out, and the Titans will be without center Ben Jones and cornerback Terrance Mitchell today against the Bengals. As announced earlier this week, Randy Bullock and Denico Autry are also out.

Jeffery Simmons, Amani Hooker and Bud Dupree are active.

For the Bengals, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase will not play. He was questionable with a hip injury. Joe Mixon was ruled out with a concussion earlier this week.

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Contact Nick Suss at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans score vs. Cincinnati Bengals in AFC playoff rematch