The NFL’s divisional playoff round kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday as the Tennessee Titans host the Cincinnati Bengals. The Titans have had a week to rest and prepare, while the Bengals comes to town riding high on their first playoff win in 31 years.
Tennessee sports betting apps favor the Titans to halt Cincinnati’s momentum and advance to the AFC title fight.
How to watch: Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
The AFC’s No. 4 seed, the Cincinnati Bengals, visit Nissan Stadium to face the No. 1-seeded Tennessee Titans. Catch the game by tuning in via an option listed below:
What: Bengals (10-7) at Titans (12-5)
When: 4:30 p.m., ET, Saturday
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: CBS
Online stream: Paramount +
Radio: WGFX 104.5 FM The Zone
Odds favor Titans by a field goal
Tennessee Sportsbooks have the home team Titans listed as -point favorites over the Bengals.
At last check, the best moneyline odds for Tennessee takers of comes from BetMGM.
For Bengals bettors, the best moneyline can be found at FanDuel Sportsbook and Draftkings Sportsbook at .
The over/under from the sportsbooks is hovering around points.
Titans RB Derrick Henry returns to practice
The big question for Titans fans heading into Saturday’s matchup: Will Derrick Henry play? During this Tuesday’s press conference, head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed that the star running back has indeed returned to practice in pads, but that a decision on Saturday’s game has yet to be made.
Henry was placed on injured reserve following his Week 8 foot injury. The Titans activated him from the list on Jan. 5, starting a 21-day clock for him to play. Meaning, if Henry doesn’t suit up for game day this week, he will be ineligible for any remaining postseason games Tennessee participates in.
Despite missing nine games, Henry’s 937 rushing yards up to the injury were good for ninth-best this season.
Whether or not our beloved King Henry returns, consistency is a must for the Titans offense. In their last regular-season game against the Houston Texans, the offense opened with Ryan Tannehill throwing three touchdowns to three different receivers, but Tennessee didn’t score again until mid-way through the fourth quarter.
On the other side of the ball, the Titans will need to tighten up their pass play defense as they face the sophomore quarterback Joe Burrow and rookie wideout Ja’Marr Chase, who has a fourth-best 1,455 yards this season.
Bengals end decades-long drought
Titans fans may have heard the cheers all the way from Cincinnati last week as the Bengals finally won a playoff game for the first time in 31 years. The 26-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t come without controversy, though. A late touchdown catch by Tyler Boyd won the game, though it technically occurred after a whistle should have stopped play.
The catch counted, and thus the Bengals won by seven points. Cincinnati scored on every possession in the first half and had a 20-13 lead by halftime. Then a field goal in the third and another in the fourth sealed the long-awaited victory for the Bengals.
Burrow finished 24-of-34 for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Mixon rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries. Chase had 9 catches for 116 yards.
History favors the Titans
The Titans lead the series 40-35-1, though the Bengals won the last matchup. The 31-20 victory came on Nov. 1, 2020, in Cincinnati. The Titans won the previous meeting before that, a 24-20 victory in Nashville.
The teams have met just once in the postseason. Remember that 31-year playoff win drought for the Bengals? That long-ago victory came at the expense of the franchise, when the then-Houston Oilers lost, 41-14, in Cincinnati.
A win from the Titans this round will result in a faceoff against either the Bills or Chiefs for the AFC crown.
As it stands now, Tennessee carries odds of claiming the conference.
Super Bowl odds grow more distant for Titans
The latest Super Bowl odds situate the Titans as sixth out of the remaining eight teams with odds of . The Bengals are the long-shot of the group, with odds.
The Packers, Chiefs and Bills remain the respective favorites for the win.
Also coming up on Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers (11-7) head to Green Bay to face Packers (13-4) at 8:15 p.m.
Then on Sunday, the L.A. Rams (12-5) head to Tampa to face the Bucs (13-4) at 3 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m. Sunday, the Buffalo Bills (11-6) play the Chiefs (12-5) in Kansas City.
