Story by
Titans S Amani Hooker on What Fueled Three-INT Performance
- Story by
- Titans S Amani Hooker on What Fueled Three-INT Performance
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)
Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker continues to impress in 2026.
He has been a solid player for the Titans for many years, but this season has by far been one of the best of his career in terms of interceptions.
Advertisement
He recorded his first interception in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles' offense was driving, and Hooker intercepted Jalen Hurts in the red zone. He nearly took it all the way for a pick-six, but was tackled just yards from the end zone.
Hooker waited a few more weeks before his next interception. That one came against the Indianapolis Colts. He made a great sideline catch on the Colts' opening drive of the game. Daniel Jones overthrew a receiver while under pressure, and Hooker capitalized.
Just when you thought Hooker couldn't one-up his previous performances, he intercepted Joe Burrow three times in Sunday's loss .
It was the first time since high school that Hooker had three interceptions in one game. His first came when Burrow was under duress and overthrew Ja'Marr Chase. Hooker recorded another on the sidelines when Burrow was looking for Mike Gesicki.
Advertisement
His final interception of the day involved Chase once again. Burrow thought he had enough space to get the ball to Chase, but Hooker swooped in and ruined that chance.
Hooker credited familiarity with Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals over the years in his Titans career.
"Yeah, I mean, like, probably my sixth time playing them in the last like five years," Hooker said. "You know, I feel like Burrow, his style, but they gave me opportunities."
The Titans and Bengals have played each other quite a bit since 2020. The two teams have faced off in the regular season and playoffs.
The Bengals beat the Titans in 2020 and twice in 2022. Cincinnati won all three matchups. The first time the Titans met the Bengals in 2022 was in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Advertisement
The Titans were the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. The Bengals won their Wild Card matchup and faced the Titans in the next round.
Cincinnati stunned the home crowd in Tennessee by handing them a 19-16 loss to eliminate them from the playoffs.
The Titans saw them again in the 2022 regular season and lost again, 20-16. Tennessee was able to get revenge in 2023 with a 27-3 win. The revenge didn't last long, as the Bengals beat the Titans 37-27 the following season.
These two franchises have gotten very familiar over the last few years. Since they are on the same side of the conference, they tend to play each other fairly often.
Hooker has taken on Burrow and the Bengals plenty throughout his Titans career. He knows what to expect, and it played in his favor on Sunday.
