The Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive, leaving Nashville with a 37-27 win over the Tennessee Titans.

For some it was a great day, for others it was a hard day. Let’s look at the winners and losers of today’s competition:

winner

Trey Hendrickson

The NFL sack leader had another very good day against Tennessee. Hendrickson spent most of the day facing rookie left tackle JC Latham, finishing the day with a strip sack, two tackles and giving Latham good performances throughout the game. Aside from the dismissal, he also picked up a couple of false start penalties against Latham.

T-shirt Higgins

Higgins always seems to play well when he returns to his home state of Tennessee, and that remains true today. Late in the 2nd quarter, Higgins jumped into the air for a 38-yard touchdown pass, showing exactly what he brings to this Bengals offense. Higgins finished the game with five receptions for 88 yards and the touchdown.

Cam Taylor Britt

Taylor-Britt has bounced back well after some struggles in the first half of the season, and on Sunday he made his second interception in the last three games late in the second quarter to put the Bengals in scoring position before halftime. After being benched in November, he appears to be on an upward trend again. Taylor-Britt finished the game with four tackles (four solo) and the interception.

Mike Hilton

Hilton just seems to have big games against the Titans. For what seemed like the entire day, Hilton was in the Titans backfield making tackles and then throwing off a jumping interception after a Josh Newton deflection. Hilton finished the game with six tackles (five solo), three tackles for loss, one pass defensed and one interception.

Geno Stone

Don’t look now, but Geno Stone has interceptions in consecutive games. With 7:24 left in the third quarter, Stone not only caught a pass, but ran it all the way back for a touchdown. Stone is slowly but surely looking like the player the Bengals signed him to be, potentially securing his 2025 roster spot.

Josh Newton

Newton made his first career interception on Sunday when he snatched a pass out of the air with 13:05 left in the fourth quarter. The rookie fifth-rounder has had some ups and downs since being thrust into the starting lineup, but finally got his elusive first pick today. Newton finished the game with four tackles (four solo), two passes defensed and one interception.

loser

Devin Cochran

Cochran was forced into the starting lineup with Orlando Brown Jr. out with a fibula injury and backup Cody Ford out with an illness. Cochran was tasked with battling Arden Key for most of the day, and Key prevailed in the duel. Cochran picked up a few false start penalties and put Joe Burrow under more pressure than any Bengals fan would like to see.

Cordell Volson

Volson’s struggles continued Sunday. On the touchdown pass from Burrow to Higgins, Volson’s man crashed into Burrow and knocked him to the ground. Later in the game, Volson allowed a pressure that forced Burrow to throw the ball away, forcing the Bengals to settle for a field goal before halftime. He just can’t do it.

Alex Cappa

A tough day for both guards as the Bengals continue to feel the pressure from the interior of the offensive line. Cappa was pushed back more than one would have liked, allowing the defenders to collapse the cauldron around Burrow. To add insult to injury, Cappa was stiff-armed by T’Vondre Sweat while returning a fumble.

Jordan Battle

Battle honestly played a good game, but made a crucial mistake when he returned a fumble to the goal line. Just one step outside the end zone, Battle lost control of the ball, resulting in a fumble from the back of the end zone that gave Tennessee the ball back. This play could have put the game out of reach much sooner.