NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow set a pair of club single-season records with his 36th touchdown pass and sixth straight game with at least three scoring tosses, and his defense generated six turnovers to lead Cincinnati to a 37-27 victory over the Titans at Nissan Stadium.
Each of Burrow's three touchdown passes came in the first half, while running back Chase Brown logged his fourth straight 100-yard scrimmage day. The Bengals drove Titans quarterback Will Levis to the bench on safety Geno Stone’s 39-yard-pick-six interception that made 31-14 nearly eight minutes into the third quarter.
Stone's third interception of the season was one of four Bengals' picks, their most in a game in six years, and included the first of rookie cornerback Josh Newton’s career.
NOTES
Bengals Get 400th Win
Cincinnati's win on Sunday marked the franchise's 400th all-time regular-season victory. The team has won 240 games at home and 160 on the road.
Joe Sets Team Record
Joe Burrow threw his 36th touchdown pass of the season when he hit Tennessee native Tee Higgins in stride for a 38-yard score late in the second quarter. The 36 touchdowns go in as a Bengals single-season record, surpassing Burrow's previous record and career high of 35 in the 2022 campaign.
Burrow also logged his sixth straight game with at least three touchdown passes, the fifth-most in NFL history. The only players to have three passing scores in more consecutive games are Tom Brady (10 straight in 2007), Andrew Luck (eight in 2018), Peyton Manning (eight in 2004) and Dan Marino (seven from 1986-87).
Burrow finished the day with 271 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on 26-of-37 passing, good for a 95.7 passer rating.
Turnover Galore
The Bengals recorded six takeaways, their most in a game since Week 10 of the 2007 season at Baltimore (also six). Cincinnati's four interceptions were its most since Week 8 of the 2018 season against Tampa Bay (also four).
The 10 total turnovers (six by Tennessee, four by Cincinnati) marked the most in an NFL game since Minnesota and Detroit also combined for 10 in Week 2 of the 2007 season.
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Hubbard Ties Game With First Career Catch
The Bengals capitalized on a fumble recovery in the second quarter with a nine-play, 62-yard drive capped by a game-tying touchdown pass from Burrow to defensive end Sam Hubbard. The play marked the first reception of Hubbard's career, and his third career touchdown of any kind (including postseason). He previously returned a recovered fumble to the end zone in Week 5 of the 2018 season against Miami, then had a 98-yard fumble return in the 2022 Wild Card Playoff against Baltimore.
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time a Bengals defensive player scored a touchdown on an offensive play was Oct. 6, 1968, when safety Bobby Hunt had a rushing score at Denver. Hubbard's score was the first ever receiving touchdown by a Cincinnati defender.
Stone's First Pick-Six Extends Lead
Geno Stone grabbed the Bengals' third interception of the afternoon when he picked off Levis midway through the third quarter and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. The score extended Cincinnati's lead to 31-14, and marked Stone's first career pick-six.
Adding in Cam Taylor-Britt’s 51-yard interception return for a touchdown in Week 13 against Pittsburgh, the Bengals now have multiple pick-sixes in a season for the first time since 2018.
Burrow to Brown Puts Bengals on Board
Cincinnati's offense answered an early Titans touchdown with a nine-play, 70-yard drive capped off by Burrow scrambling to find Chase Brown in the end zone. It was Brown's fourth receiving touchdown of the season, which ties for the third-most by a running back in Bengals history. Only James Brooks (six in 1988, five 1985) had more in a single season, while Brooks (1986, 1990), Pete Johnson (1981) and Samaje Perine (2022) also had four.
Per NFL's Next Gen Stats, Burrow held onto the ball for 9.01 seconds before hitting Brown for the touchdown. That marked the second-longest time to throw of his career, behind 9.71 seconds on a third-down completion to Tee Higgins in Week 8 of last season at San Francisco.
Brown finished the afternoon with 25 carries for 97 yards and a rushing touchdown, while also contributing three catches for 16 yards and the receiving score. It marked the first game of his career with both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
Hendrickson Turns the Tide
Trey Hendrickson helped regain possession following the red zone turnover when he broke into the backfield and knocked the ball free from Will Levis on a designed quarterback run. Rookie Maema Njongmeta recovered the fumble, marking his second straight game with a key recovery and ending a Titans drive that reached the Cincinnati 33-yard line.
Hendrickson on the play recorded his 14th career forced fumble. His 11 fumbles forced since joining the Bengals in 2021 are the second-most in the NFL behind Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt (15).
Red Zone Streak Ends at 42
The Titans forced and recovered a fumble on a play that began at Tennessee's nine-yard line early in the second quarter. It concluded a streak of 42 consecutive red zone appearances for the Bengals that ended in either a touchdown or a field goal.
Cincinnati's red zone streak was its longest since at least 1980, when the Elias Sports Bureau began tracking drive data. It surpassed the previous long of 41 straight red zone scoring drives from Week 14 of the 2005 season through Week 10 of 2006.
The streak remains the longest by any NFL team this season through Week 14's games.
CTB, Hilton Net Back-to-Back Picks
Cam Taylor-Britt picked off Levis just before the two-minute warning of the first half and returned it 28 yards to set up the offense at Tennessee's 38-yard line. Burrow capitalized three plays later with the 38-yard touchdown pass to Higgins.
The interception was Taylor-Britt's third of the season and seventh of his career.
On the Titans' next offensive play from scrimmage, Mike Hilton tracked a tipped pass and secured his first interception of the year, coincidentally at the Tennessee 38-yard line. The Bengals converted the pick into a Cade York field goal to build a 10-point advantage at halftime.
The last time Cincinnati recorded interceptions on two consecutive defensive plays was Week 8 of last season at San Francisco, when Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson picked off Brock Purdy on back-to-back snaps.
Extra Points
- Rookie cornerback Josh Newton recorded his first career interception early in the fourth quarter, picking off Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph at the Bengals' 27-yard line.
- Offensive tackle Devin Cochran made his first career start, lining up at left tackle.
- Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither led the team with 12 total tackles (six solo). It marked his fourth career game with double-digit tackles and second this season, following a 13-tackle performance in Week 13 vs. Pittsburgh.
Check out the best photos from Titans-Bengals Week 15 matchup.
QUOTES
"Ultimately, we made enough plays to find a road win. At this point in the year, in December, you've got to come off the field with a victory and sort it out. There's a lot to sort out for us. There was a lot that wasn't good enough, that we've got to correct. Really, all three phases, quite frankly. Happy to get the win, let's sort it out from there." - Head Coach Zac Taylor, on coming away with a victory
"They warned me that it'd be contested, I'd have somebody on me. But I walked up to the line and was talking to the tackle like, 'Hey, are we cutting off?' like talking about a fake block and tried to get as free as I can. But Joe (Burrow) gave me a great pass. It was really fun." - Defensive End Sam Hubbard, on his touchdown catch
"Really a guy you can look up to when you're young, because he does things the right way. He works really hard, he's about the right things. When you get into the league, he helps you with your process. All the off-the-field stuff that I do, a lot of it I got from Sam. He's just a pro's pro -- has been for a long time. He works really hard at it, plays great when he's in there. You just can't say enough good things about him." - Quarterback Joe Burrow, on the reward of seeing Sam Hubbard score a touchdown
"Our defense had to play a lot of snaps in the second half. It was a strange game that way, but I think they'll gladly take that when they're taking the ball away and having to play because of that." - Head Coach Zac Taylor, on the defense's workload in the second half