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Bengals Defeat Titans in Overtime 43-36 | POSTGAME RECAP, NOTES & QUOTES

The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Tennessee Titans 43-36 at Paycor Stadium in Week 8 in overtime to improve to 5-2 on the year.

QB Joe Burrow completed 38-of-48 passes for 462 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions, while WR Tee Higgins caught 10 passes for 155 yards and two scores and WR Ja'Marr Chase hauled in 11 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. For Tennessee, QB Cam Ward threw for a career-high 304 yards and two touchdowns, while RB Tony Pollard had 21 carries for 117 yards and two scores.

A back-and-forth second half ended in a stalemate and headed to overtime with the teams tied at 36. The Bengals received the kick in OT and went 70 yards in five plays as Burrow scrambled in from nine yards out to give the Bengals a 43-36 lead. Cincinnati's defense stood tall on the ensuing Titans possession, forcing a turnover on downs to seal the victory.

The Bengals head to Madrid, Spain, to take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9.

Bengals Titans Quick Facts

Final: Bengals 43, Titans 36
Bengals record: 5-2
Location: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati
Joe Burrow: 38-of-48, 462 yards, five touchdowns
Tee Higgins: 10 catches, 155 yards, two touchdowns
Next game: Bengals at Falcons (Madrid), Week 9

Bengals-Titans Postgame Notes

Burrow and Tee x2

Burrow connected with Higgins for two touchdowns, including the 18-yard strike to tie the game at 36. Higgins caught 10 passes for 155 yards, marking his 18th career 100-yard receiving game. He has back-to-back games with 100+ receiving yards for the third time in his career.

The strike was Burrow's fifth touchdown of the day, tying his single game career high. It was his third game with five touchdown passes.

Burrow to Gesicki Puts Bengals Ahead in Fourth

Burrow found tight end Mike Gesicki up the seam for a 25-yard touchdown to put Cincinnati ahead 29-28 midway through the fourth quarter. It marked the fifth straight game with a touchdown catch for Gesicki, which is the longest streak by a tight end in Bengals history.

The scoring pass was Burrow's fourth of the day, marking his third consecutive game with four TD passes. It was his 12th career game with at least four TD throws.

Mafe Strip-Sack Sets Up Burrow's 175th TD Pass

Boye Mafe recorded his second strip-sack of the season early in the third quarter, when he took down Cam Ward in the backfield and knocked the ball loose. Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II scooped up the fumble and returned it eight yards, setting up the Bengals' offense at the Tennessee 17.

On the very next snap, Burrow threw his 175th career touchdown pass when he found Tee Higgins near the front pylon for a 17-yard score. Playing in his 84th career regular-season game, he became the third-fastest QB in NFL history to record 175 scoring passes, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (72 games) and Dan Marino (76).

Mafe's strip-sack marked his fifth career forced fumble, while Lawrence registered his first career recovery on the play. Mafe's team-leading sack total this season now stands at 5.5.

Lawrence, Knight Force Safety in Third Quarter

Lawrence and linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. teamed up to stop Titans running back Tony Pollard in the Tennessee end zone for a safety late in the third quarter. The play gave Cincinnati a 23-21 lead.

It marked the Bengals' first safety forced since Week 5 of the 2024 season against Baltimore, when Sam Hubbard tackled Derrick Henry in the same south end zone of Paycor Stadium.

Ja'Marr's 60th Gets Bengals on Board

Burrow climbed the pocket on a third-and-18 and fired a dart to Chase in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. It marked Chase's 60th career touchdown, which are now three shy of former receiver Carl Pickens for third-most in franchise history.

Sunday's game was the 85th regular-season contest of Chase's career. He became the fourth player in the Super Bowl era with 60 or more touchdown catches in his first 85 games, joining Jerry Rice (77 touchdowns), Rob Gronkowski (67) and Randy Moss (66).

Chase now has a touchdown catch in each of his last three games, marking the fifth time in his career in which he found the end zone in at least three consecutive contests. The previous instances were Weeks 1-3 of his 2021 rookie season, Weeks 3-5 of 2024, Weeks 10-14 of 2024 and Weeks 5-7 of 2025.

Endries Scores First Career TD

Burrow found rookie tight end Jack Endries for a one-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half, with the extra point giving Cincinnati its first lead of the afternoon. It marked the first reception and first TD of Endries' NFL career.

A seventh-round pick in this past April's NFL Draft, Endries had seven touchdown catches during his college career that included two seasons (2023-24) at California and one (2025) at Texas.

Cincinnati's tight ends have teamed up for eight touchdowns this season, with five by Mike Gesicki, and one each by Endries, Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson.

Turner, Newton Team Up For Takeaway

With Tennessee driving at the Cincinnati 37-yard line midway through the second quarter, cornerback DJ Turner II punched the ball out from Wan'Dale Robinson on a screen pass and fellow corner Josh Newton recovered it for the Bengals' first takeaway. It marked Cincinnati's sixth fumble recovery of the season and first since Week 5 at Miami.

Turner logged his third career forced fumble on the play and first of this season, while Newton recorded his first career recovery.

Burrow Passes Palmer on Bengals' Passing Yards List

Burrow finished the day with 462 passing yards, moving his career total to 22,925. He surpassed former quarterback Carson Palmer (22,694) for fourth place on Cincinnati's all-time passing yards chart. Quarterbacks Ken Anderson (32,838), Andy Dalton (31,594) and Boomer Esiason (27,149) hold the top three spots in team history.

Extra Points

  • Sunday marked the fourth time Chase and Higgins each had more than 100 receiving yards in the same game. It is the 15th time they've both caught a touchdown in the same game.

Bengals-Ravens Postgame Quotes

Bengals quotes will be updated

Check out the best game photos from Bengals-Titans Week 8 game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.

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