6 Truths About the Tennessee Titans Heading Into Week 8 at Cincinnati Bengals

The Tennessee Titans are 1-4 in one-score games, Cam Ward has four touchdown passes and Tony Pollard is finally rolling as a 4-2 Cincinnati team waits.

by Neal Coolong

Oct 28, 2026

The Tennessee Titans are 1-4 in one-score games, Cam Ward has four touchdown passes and Tony Pollard is finally rolling as a 4-2 Cincinnati team waits.

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Seven games in, the Tennessee Titans are 1-6, sitting No. 2 in the 2027 draft order after Andre Szmyt’s 32-yard field goal beat them 27-24 on Sunday. Next is a trip to Cincinnati to face a 4-2 Bengals team that hasn’t lost since Week 4.

Here’s what this team is heading into Week 8, good and bad.

The Titans are closer than 1-6 looks

Oct 25, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Cleveland Browns placekicker Andre Szmyt (25) kicks the game-winning thirty-two-yard field goal held by punter Corey Bojorquez (13) against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Four of Tennessee’s six losses came by six points or fewer: 24-20 to Philadelphia, 12-7 at the Giants, 24-18 at Baltimore and Sunday’s loss to Cleveland. The Titans are 1-4 in one-score games, and Robert Saleh said Monday that flipping that 1-4 mark to 4-1 would make them 4-3. “It is so close, it is so close,” he said on his Zoom call.

The point differential, minus-48, says the gap is real. Cincinnati is 2-2 in one-score games.

Cam Ward still isn’t creating enough downfield

Referee Scott Novak (1) informs Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) they didn’t get a first down during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026.

Saleh defended his quarterback after the loss. “You can’t possibly watch that film and say Cam Ward did not play good, winning football. You can’t,” he said. Ward started 7 of 8 as Tennessee built a 14-0 lead, but he finished 20 of 31 for 181 yards without a touchdown pass, and he has four touchdown passes in seven games while averaging 168.4 passing yards per game.

Ward has four big-time throws this season, 29th among 35 quarterbacks, and seven turnover-worthy plays, per his PFF page. That’s why some are already asking whether the Titans could make a QB change. Cincinnati’s defense has allowed six touchdown passes, so the explosive plays won’t come easy Sunday either.

Carnell Tate is the No. 1 receiver, mistakes included

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate (14) runs with the ball as New York Giants cornerback Colton Hood (12) defends during a game at MetLife Stadium, Sep 27, 2026, East Rutherford, NJ, USA.

Tate leads the team with 51 targets, 34 catches and 413 yards, and his Titans-era rookie record keeps growing. He also has four drops, according to PFF, and three fumbles, two lost, including one against Cleveland.

He gets a Bengals secondary with soft spots. Dax Hill allowed three catches for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens, according to PFF, and his coverage stung in Cincinnati’s stock report.

Tony Pollard is running like a back worth keeping

Oct 4, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Pollard ran 25 times for 129 yards and three touchdowns against the Browns and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry on 112 attempts. He posted an 84.3 grade in that game, according to PFF, and the timing matters with the deadline close and a decision coming on Pollard.

Demetrius Knight Jr. leads Cincinnati with 50 tackles, but PFF graded him at 36.6 against Baltimore. Barrett Carter is the linebacker to account for after posting an 86.8 run-defense grade in that game, according to PFF.

The run defense is the bigger problem on that side

Oct 25, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (10) runs the ball against Tennessee Titans cornerback Joshua Williams (25) and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (53) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Tennessee allows 131.1 rushing yards per game, 26th in the NFL, and nine rushing touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins ran for 96 yards and two scores Sunday, and Cleveland finished with 183 on the ground. Anthony Hill Jr.’s 49.3 run-defense grade ranks 68th among 75 linebackers, per his PFF page, even as Jeffery Simmons leads all interior defenders with 20 stops.

Here’s the break: Cincinnati runs for 81.2 yards per game, third-worst in the league, and Chase Brown is averaging 3.5 yards per carry. If the Titans can’t slow this run game, the problem goes deeper than one bad afternoon against Cleveland.

The kicking game has been an edge, but it’s shaky now

Dec 28, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans place kicker Joey Slye (6) kicks a field goal during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Joey Slye has made 10 of 11 field goals, and Julius Chestnut’s blocked punt for a touchdown helped beat the Colts. Punter Tommy Townsend left Sunday’s game with a knee injury, though, and Saleh had no update Monday. Slye had to punt once in his place.

Cincinnati’s Evan McPherson is 10 of 10 on field goals, including 5 of 5 from 50 yards or longer. In a game Tennessee likely has to keep close, field position and kicks could decide it.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Watch the first two Bengals possessions. Cincinnati trailed 13-0 at halftime in Baltimore, and the slow starts are the opening the Titans need.