AJ Brown makes Titans history in playoff loss vs. Bengals
The Tennessee Titans entered the playoffs as the top seed in the AFC. In Saturday’s Divisional Round matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, though, it was the Bengals that came out on top. In the Titans’ loss, wide receiver AJ Brown broke an impressive team record.
Brown caught five passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in the Titans’ loss. He was targeted nine times. Brown’s 142 receiving yards are the most in a single playoff game in the history of the franchise.
Brown just wrapped up his third NFL season. This year, he caught 63 passes on 105 targets for 869 yards and five touchdowns. He did that despite missing four games, and he would have likely hit the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the third consecutive season if he played the entire season.
As a rookie in 2019 out of Ole Miss, Brown broke onto the scene in a big way with 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns. Last year, he had 70 catches for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The former Ole Miss star has turned into one of the NFL’s top wide receivers. He was drafted with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Titans loss comes after Brown, rest of offense was finally healthy
Throughout the season, the Titans have dealt with a ton of injuries, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Brown has been banged up for most of the year. Tennessee acquired wideout Julio Jones in the offseason, but he played in only ten games this year, catching 31 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown. Star running back Derrick Henry also missed most of the year with a foot injury.
Brown, Henry, and Jones were all on the field against the Bengals on Saturday, making the Titans’ loss that much more disappointing. In the game, Henry rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Brown had a record-setting night, and Jones caught six passes for 62 yards.
But having the three key offensive players available clearly wasn’t enough for the Titans in the loss. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions. The Bengals kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to secure the 19-16 victory.
In the regular season, the Titans went 12-5 overall, including a 7-2 record at home. That didn’t stop the Bengals from punching their ticket to the AFC Championship game, though.