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Titans haven’t made top seed pay off in playoffs

The Tennessean photo by Andrew Nelles via AP / Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) and offensive tackle Taylor Lewan exit the field at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on Saturday after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
The Tennessean photo by Andrew Nelles via AP / Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) and offensive tackle Taylor Lewan exit the field at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on Saturday after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. The Tennessean photo by Andrew Nelles via AP / Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) and offensive tackle Taylor Lewan exit the field at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on Saturday after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

By TERESA M. WALKER / The Associated Press 4 min read

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans had the AFC’s No. 1 seed, a weekend of rest after the regular season and home-field advantage, along with star running back Derrick Henry returning from injury just in time for the playoffs.

Once again, playing in Music City didn’t seem to matter in the outcome – not with all the mistakes the Titans made Saturday in losing 19-16 to the fourth-seeded Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.

“It’s super shocking,” Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan said. “None of us expected this.”

The Titans won their second straight AFC South Division title for their third straight postseason berth in coach Mike Vrabel’s four seasons, then clinched the conference’s top seed with a win in the regular-season finale. Saturday’s loss snapped a three-game winning streak for a team that had won four of its previous five.

“We didn’t get the job done,” said receiver A.J. Brown, who had five catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. “We’re not here to see how good the regular season can be. We’re trying to win the Super Bowl.”