NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ Bengals rookie cornerback Josh Newton saw his first NFL interception looming in the gray sky of Nissan Stadium, and his eyes got as big as the Bengals’ 37-27 victory over the Titans Sunday.
“I was saying, ‘Go get it, go get it, go get it,'” said Newton and that’s exactly what the defense did in coming up with its first six-turnover game in 17 years and not allowing any second-half points until the last play of the game.
“Pretty much our best performance of the year. From top to bottom,” said slot cornerback Mike Hilton, who had one of four interceptions that got Titans quarterback Will Levis benched. “We know when we go out there and execute, we’re a hard defense to move the ball on.”
Old friend Brian Callahan, the first-year Titans head coach and former Bengals offensive coordinator, made it clear what he wanted to do as he loaded up with extra offensive linemen and multiple tight ends in order to run the ball, control the clock and keep Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow off the field.
The Bengals responded by giving running back Tony Pollard just 2.6 yards per his 17 carries on the way to allowing 83 yards on the ground for their second-best performance against the run this season.
“Our game plan was to make him sit back and read coverages and let our front four do what they do,” Hilton said.
Hilton gave a shoutout to Newton because before he got his own interception he had “great,” man-to-man coverage on wide receiver Calvin Ridley. When Newton tipped it, Hilton was able to dive and catch the ball at the Titans 38 with 67 seconds left in the first half.
That was a back-breaker because it set up what amounted to a last-snap field goal by Cade York for a 24-14 halftime lead.
Newton, the fifth-rounder from TCU, had a busy day with three passes defensed and four tackles. Hilton, whose red-zone interception here three years ago in the AFC Divisional…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News…