Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals aim to keep rolling against a Tennessee Titans team on the ropes.
Cincinnati enters at 4-2 and has won two straight games, while Tennessee sits at 1-6 and has lost its last game. The two teams meet Sunday, November 1, 2026, at Paycor Stadium.
Game details
| When | Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET |
| Where | Paycor Stadium |
| TV | CBS |
| Line | Cincinnati Bengals -12.5 | O/U 46.5 (market view) |
| Tennessee Titans record | 1-6 |
| Cincinnati Bengals record | 4-2 |
The matchup
Cincinnati comes in off a 35-13 win at Baltimore Ravens in Week 7, following a 31-24 win over Miami Dolphins, a 17-22 loss to Jacksonville Jaguars and a 27-30 loss to Pittsburgh Steelers. According to NFL game notes, Burrow's four-touchdown, zero-interception outing against Baltimore was the 16th game of his career with three-plus touchdown passes and zero picks, tying him with Lamar Jackson for third-most such games by a player in his first seven seasons.
Tennessee heads into Sunday on a one-game skid, falling 24-27 to Cleveland Browns, after beating Indianapolis Colts 26-20, losing 3-26 to Houston Texans, 18-24 to Baltimore Ravens and 7-12 to New York Giants. Running back Tony Pollard has kept the offense afloat regardless of the record — he piled up 155 scrimmage yards and three rushing touchdowns last week and is chasing his seventh straight game with 50-plus scrimmage yards, plus a fourth straight game with a touchdown against Cincinnati.
Key matchups
Joe Burrow and the Bengals passing game, led by Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, face a Titans defense that's allowed 156 points this season. Burrow is projected for 22.5 DraftKings points, well clear of everyone else in this game, and he's within reach of more history: per the NFL's Week 8 notes, Burrow needs three touchdown passes Sunday to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning for the third-most games with at least three touchdown passes by a player in his first seven seasons.
On the ground, Tony Pollard carries the Titans' hopes. He's projected for 11.0 DraftKings points and is chasing his seventh straight game with 50-plus scrimmage yards. He'll work behind Cam Ward, projected for 10.0 points after completing 20 of 31 passes for 181 yards last week; Ward has a touchdown pass in seven of his past eight games on the road.
Injuries that matter
Tennessee's injury report is heavy at the skill positions and up front. Wide receiver Carnell Tate is out with a shoulder injury, and running back Tyjae Spears is out with a knee injury. Punter Tommy Townsend is also out with a knee injury. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley (hip), linebacker Dorian Mausi (foot), defensive end John Franklin-Myers (groin) and cornerback Jaylon Jones (knee) are all questionable.
Cincinnati's defensive line has some question marks of its own. Jonathan Allen, B.J. Hill and Dexter Lawrence II all did not practice, with no game status attached yet. Safety Jordan Battle was limited in practice, also without a status. Safety Kyle Dugger is out with a quadricep injury, and linebacker Joe Giles-Harris is questionable with a calf injury.
Fantasy angles
Joe Burrow is the easy start here — 22.5 projected points, four touchdown passes last week, and a shot at NFL history against a Titans defense that's given up 156 points this season.
Ja'Marr Chase starts without a second thought. He leads AFC wide receivers with five receiving touchdowns in 2026 and has hit five-plus receptions, 60-plus yards and a touchdown catch in four of his past five games.
Tee Higgins is locked into lineups too. He led Cincinnati with six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown last week and has five-plus receptions in four of his last five.
Tony Pollard starts even in a tough spot. Three rushing touchdowns and 155 scrimmage yards last week say the Titans are feeding him near the goal line, and his 11.0 projection reflects that workload.
Chase Brown is a steady complementary start at 10.5 projected points as he chases his 11th straight game with 55-plus scrimmage yards.
The pick
The market sees this as a mismatch: Cincinnati is favored by 12.5 points with a total of 46.5, and the market score points to a 30-17 Bengals win. Burrow's historic form against a Titans defense that's allowed 156 points this season makes the lean to Cincinnati clear, even with Tony Pollard doing his part to keep Tennessee competitive.
Injury report
| Player | Team | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans | WR | Questionable |
| Carnell Tate | Tennessee Titans | WR | Out |
| Dorian Mausi | Tennessee Titans | LB | Questionable |
| John Franklin-Myers | Tennessee Titans | DE | Questionable |
| Tommy Townsend | Tennessee Titans | P | Out |
| Tyjae Spears | Tennessee Titans | RB | Out |
| Jaylon Jones | Tennessee Titans | CB | Questionable |
| Joe Giles-Harris | Cincinnati Bengals | LB | Questionable |
| Kyle Dugger | Cincinnati Bengals | S | Out |
| Jonathan Allen | Cincinnati Bengals | DT | Did not practice (no game status yet) |
| Jordan Battle | Cincinnati Bengals | S | Limited in practice (no game status yet) |
| B.J. Hill | Cincinnati Bengals | DT | Did not practice (no game status yet) |
| Dexter Lawrence II | Cincinnati Bengals | DT | Did not practice (no game status yet) |
Depth chart
Offense
| Pos | Tennessee Titans | Cincinnati Bengals |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Cam Ward | Joe Burrow |
| RB | Tony Pollard | Chase Brown |
| WR | Carnell Tate, Wan'Dale Robinson, Elic Ayomanor | Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Dohnte Meyers |
| TE | Gunnar Helm | Mike Gesicki |
| LT | Dan Moore Jr. | Orlando Brown Jr. |
| LG | Peter Skoronski | Dylan Fairchild |
| C | Austin Schlottmann | Ted Karras |
| RG | Atonio Mafi | Dalton Risner |
| RT | JC Latham | Amarius Mims |
Defense
| Pos | Tennessee Titans | Cincinnati Bengals |
|---|---|---|
| LDE | John Franklin-Myers | Boye Mafe |
| LDT | Nazir Stackhouse | Dexter Lawrence II |
| RDT | Solomon Thomas | Jonathan Allen |
| RDE | Jermaine Johnson II | Myles Murphy |
| WLB | Cedric Gray | Demetrius Knight Jr. |
| MLB | Anthony Hill Jr. | Barrett Carter |
| SLB | Cody Barton | Oren Burks |
| LCB | Joshua Williams | Tacario Davis |
| RCB | Cor'Dale Flott | DJ Turner II |
| NB | Marcus Harris | Dax Hill |
| SS | Amani Hooker | Jordan Battle |
| FS | Kevin Winston Jr. | Bryan Cook |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | Wk7 L 24-27 vs Cleveland Browns, Wk6 W 26-20 vs Indianapolis Colts, Wk5 L 3-26 vs Houston Texans |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Wk7 W 35-13 vs Baltimore Ravens, Wk5 W 31-24 vs Miami Dolphins, Wk4 L 17-22 vs Jacksonville Jaguars |
More league notes: What To Look For - Week 8, from the NFL.
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts). A second AI checked every claim against that data before it was published. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.