The Bengals certainly gave the Tennessee Titans a battle in the first half. Derrick Henry, who was making his return from injury, was held largely in check, and Cincinnati took a 9-6 lead into the locker room.
But there was one area where the AFC’s top-seeded Titans held the edge, and that was when it came to pressure. The Bengals’ offensive line had an awful half, allowing five sacks on quarterback Joe Burrow.
Poor offensive line play has been a recurring theme in Cincinnati this season, and if it weren’t for an outright dominant rookie year from third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft Ja’Marr Chase, the decision to target a receiver instead of an elite offensive lineman in the first round would look highly questionable.
It was definitely a decision many questioned at the time, though, and passing on a player like Penei Sewell was the source of memes like this one.
the meme. it's alive. pic.twitter.com/aJSv0UEc3U
— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) January 22, 2022
But the unit’s performance on Saturday created a renewed discourse about the line’s shortcomings, and a lot of folks on Twitter had a field day with jokes about its play.
