CINCINNATI -- A few thoughts on the Tennessee Titans' 33-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.
What it means: As the Bengals emerge as a legitimate contender for a deep run into the playoffs, the Titans lost for the second week in a row and are establishing they don’t have much of a chance to emerge as a surprise team. Tennessee provided zero resistance in a miserable showing that leaves a ton of questions. The biggest question: How long can they stick with Jake Locker at quarterback?
What was he thinking? Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson had Andy Dalton lined up to make an interception or crush Dalton as the Bengals quarterback went out for a pass back from Mohamed Sanu. Inexplicably, Wreh-Wilson came up with neither, missing the ball and man and watching Dalton pull it in and take it 18 yards for a score that made it 10-0 in the first quarter.
Disastrous: Locker was wild again, regularly throwing high and getting picked off twice. He didn’t play with any confidence or effectiveness throwing. He finished 17-of-33 for 185 yards with two interceptions and a 43.1 passer rating. He did run well, taking off five times for 51 yards before taking a knee on the last snap of the game.
Game ball: Bishop Sankey got his most action so far and the results were encouraging for the rookie running back. Because the Titans have at least three guys they like in the backfield, none will get as much work every week as he might like. In losses, fans will often be asking about how they were used. The Titans say it’s a game-to-game thing heavily influenced by matchups. On this day, Sankey got 10 carries for 61 yards and had at least one very good snap in pass protection, picking up a free rusher who could have done serious damage.
What’s next: The Titans head to Indianapolis for their first AFC South game of 2014. The Indianapolis Colts are also 1-2.
