6 stats from the Bengals Week 4 loss that were downright disgusting

3) 2 ill-timed, 5 accepted penalties

Penalties have hurt the Bengals all season. It's not just the number of infractions but also when and how they affect the game flow.

We have seen this play out several times regarding nullifying sacks this season. It happened again to DJ Reader in this game. After his takedown of Ryan Tannehill to force fourth down with 23 seconds left in the first half, his sack was nullified because of a defensive hold.

The added salt in the wound was that the penalty came with an automatic first down. This allowed the Titans to forgo a field goal attempt. That led directly to Derrick Henry throwing a TD pass, essentially ending any chance of the men in stripes making a comeback.

Another costly and confusing penalty for those at home came after a crucial third-down stop in the third quarter. On their first possession after halftime, the Titans failed to convert a 3rd and 16. Unfortunately, a defensive penalty against the Bengals kept the drive alive.

TV viewers only saw a brief glimpse of the penalty against Dax Hill that helped the opposing team continue their drive. We saw Hill pulling the back of the helmet of an offensive player as they exited the left-side view of the end zone camera. That player ended up being Tyjai Spears.

The Bengals were penalized five times for a total of 40 yards. The timing of these penalties was more crucial than the number or distance covered. Penalties are never good, but they are even worse when they result in extending the opponent's drive, negating a successful sack, or giving away points. Unfortunately, three of the Bengals' penalties led to the opposition gaining a first down.

With an offense struggling to score points or even stay on the field and a defense allowing the opposing team to have long, sustained drives, keeping ill-timed penalties to a minimum was a must, as the margin for error turned out to be zero.