It’s no secret that the Bengals hit a home run with the trade that brought Dexter Lawrence to the Queen City. The game wrecking defensive tackle has 22 total pressures and four sacks through six games, which has led to his league-leading 89.6 pass rush grade. This is a significant increase from his 84.5 pass-rush mark in 2025, and highlights exactly why Cincinnati brought him in, as his disruption has opened up a host of other opportunities for this rising defensive unit that is tied for the league lead in sacks.
Jeffery Simmons Looms Large
But lest we forget as the Bengals take on Tennessee this week, Lawrence isn’t the only perennial All-Pro who will take the field.
Jeffery Simmons may be playing on one of the worst teams in the NFL but he is doing his part to show that he is one of the best at his position no matter the struggles the Titans may be going through overall.
Simmons’ overall PFF grades have taken a slight step back in 2026 season compared to his dominant numbers in recent years. While his pass-rush grade remains strong this year at an 80.5, to go along with 24 total pressures and four sacks, it falls significantly short of his career-high 91.4 mark set in 2025 and his 81.6 grade from 2024.
By some metrics, though Simmons is having one of the best performances for an interior lineman in 2026 where he ranks first among all qualified NFL defensive tackles with a 27% pass rush win rate. Though he has been caught up in swirling trade rumors given the Titans 1-6 stumble to start the year, it hasn’t let anything take away from his production on the field.
Against the Colts he showcased that talent with two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. But last week facing the porous Browns offensive line the Titans defense could only muster one sack and 14 pressures against Deshaun Watson.
The Bengals Offensive Line Is Ready
But the Bengals are in the best position they’ve been in years to make sure Simmons can’t get within a country mile of Joe Burrow.
Currently, Cincinnati ranks fifth in the NFL in sacks allowed, an impressive improvement after they ranked 14th in that category last season. It has gotten even better over the years as they were near the absolute bottom of the league, finishing 22nd or worse in the NFL from 2020-2024.
At guard the Bengals are better prepared than they have been in several years, but the matchups will still be extremely difficult. Dalton Risner ranks 18th overall among guards with a pass-blocking grade of 78.9. Meanwhile, Dylan Fairchild comes in 28th and a 65.2 grade. For his part, at center, Ted Karras is the 18th best at the position coming in with a mark of 62.8. Though the interior of the Bengals line isn’t at the top of the league they are playing well enough to slow down even a prolific rusher line Simmons.
The Rest of the Titans Defense Is Struggling
Despite some individual successes, Tennessee has struggled overall defensively. They are 26th in total defense allowing 376.9 yards per game. However in one small bright spot, Tennessee has given up just six touchdown passes in seven games, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL despite allowing a 69.2% completion rate. As one of the most accurate passers in the NFL, and coming off a 292 yard performance against Baltimore, Joe Burrow will be looking to keep that momentum going.
Sunday may also be a chance for Chase Brown to have his first signature game of 2026. The Titans allow over 130 yards per game on the ground, and so it might be a great time for the Bengals to see a 100 yard rusher. It’d be the first time for that since Brown did it in December of last year against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Titans and Bengals will face off this Sunday at 1:30 PM at Paycor Stadium. Coverage will be on CBS and Cincinnati is a 10.5 point favorite according to Fan Duel.
