CINCINNATI -- Below are three items to watch for Sunday when the Cincinnati Bengals host the Tennessee Titans:

All eyes on A.J: We'll be keeping a close eye on Bengals receiver A.J. Green during warmups Sunday, and you should keep a close eye on how he looks when he steps on the field to actually play. Green said all week that he'd play if his right big toe felt good after Thursday's and Friday's practices. By all accounts, it appears it has. He was listed as probable on the Bengals' pregame injury report, but it appears he will be making the start seven days after he was forced to leave the Bengals' home opener due to pain in his foot. Just six plays into last week's game he came off the field and didn't return because of the injury. When he cut without issue while running a pair of routes Thursday, it appeared he was feeling good enough to contribute this weekend. I'll be watching him in warmups, though, because that's when he said he felt the toe start nagging him last week.

Horton's tough defense: The Bengals' offensive line won't be taking its eyes off Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey, and you shouldn't, either. At 6-foot-1, 300 pounds, he's a large and athletic rusher who can line up both on the outside and inside of Tennessee's defensive line. He already has two sacks and has been a key reason behind the success the Titans and their league-leading pass defense have had so far. Casey fits well in the Titans' defense in part because his role mirrors a lot of what other linemen have done in past defenses coached by Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton. The former Bengals player and one-time defensive backs coach spent last season with the Cleveland Browns, and had a seven-season stint as a secondary coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. So the Bengals know Horton's coaching style quite well. Last year, in only his third season as a coordinator, Horton worked up a game plan that held the Bengals to just six points in a Week 4 loss at Cleveland. In the Browns' return trip to Cincinnati last November, though, the Bengals used their defense to blast the Browns 41-20. Keep a close watch over the Titans' defense, one the Bengals believe has very real Horton influences.

Nugent's bounce back: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said after last Sunday's game that he had the utmost faith in kicker Mike Nugent's ability to bounce back this week after a disappointing 1-for-4 showing in the 24-10 win over the Falcons. Wind didn't appear to be a factor as Nugent sailed kicks wide left, right and short. Kicks that he normally would bury with ease just weren't finding the goal posts. Keep an eye out this week when he trots out onto the field to see how well he responds to the miscues he had last week. Also be on the lookout for how often the Bengals use him. With red zone issues bugging them at times through the first two weeks, the Bengals are hoping not only to score once they reach the 20-yard line, but they'd like to start seeing drives end in touchdowns when they even get inside the 30. The offense has done an OK job of moving the ball into that territory. Now it just has to build off last week and continue to finish drives that way.