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Titans' Ryan Tannehill on 'Brutal' Loss to Bengals: 'This Hurts Bad'
January 23, 2022
The Tennessee Titans fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 19-16 in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday at Nissan Stadium, and Ryan Tannehill admitted after the loss that it would take a long time to get over.
While speaking with reporters after the loss, the veteran quarterback said:
"This hurts. Hurts bad. Didn't think we'd be having this conversation right now. Not my vision for the game, at all. ... It’s brutal. No one in the locker room thought we would be here right now.”
The Titans entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the AFC after finishing the regular season with a 12-5 record. After earning a first-round bye, the team had high expectations entering Saturday's game against the Bengals.
While Tennessee's defense lived up to those expectations, limiting Joe Burrow to 348 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, in addition to recording nine sacks, the offense faltered.
Tannehill had one of his worst games of the season against Cincinnati, completing just 15 of 24 passes for 220 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He hadn't thrown three or more interceptions in a game since a Week 11 loss to the Houston Texans when he tossed four picks.
And while running back Derrick Henry rushed for a score, he was limited to just 62 yards on the ground. However, he hadn't played since a Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts because of a broken foot and played Saturday's game with a metal plate and 5 screws in his foot.
This is the second straight season Tennessee has been eliminated from the playoffs after one game. The Titans fell to the Baltimore Ravens 20-13 in last year's AFC Wild Card Round.
With the Titans now eliminated from the playoffs, the team enters the offseason with many questions to answer, one of which should be if Tannehill can ever get them back to the Super Bowl.
In addition, the team has some glaring needs to address, including upgrades at linebacker, wide receiver, tight end and center. Some of those can be addressed through the draft, though the team will also try to make additions via free agency despite having minimal cap space.