NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There were plenty of familiar mistakes from the Titans Sunday, but it was their newfound resolve that was the story as they rallied back from an early deficit and then again late to stun the AFC South-leading Texans 32-27 for just their third win of the season.
The first 3:45 of Sunday’s game felt like a microcosm of the Titans’ season. Dameon Pierce returned the opening kickoff, somehow escaping a tackle and then containing before racing 80 yards down the sideline before being knocked out of bounds at the Tennessee 19. On the very next play, C.J. Stroud hit a wide-open Cade Stover for a touchdown behind a confused Titans defense that was filling holes with the late scratch of Amani Hooker due to illness.
The Titans once again mounted a points-producing opening drive as Will Levis got off to a good start, hitting Tyler Boyd on a rollout on the series’ first play before two nice runs by Tony Pollard. The drive stalled with a false start and a third down sack, forcing the Titans to settle for a field goal like they have done way too many times this season.
Special teams meltdowns, a wounded defense failing to get red zone stops and an offense that struggles to finish has been the story of the first 10 games of the season and looked like it would be the theme Sunday. It was at times, but for the first time this season, the Titans found ways to overcome the mistakes and close out a game against a playoff-caliber team.
Brian Callahan’s offense found a rhythm, scoring 17 points on its first three possessions. Will Levis completed his first 11 passes, throwing for nearly 18 yards per attempt in the first half including a 38-yard strike to Mr. Touchdown Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and a 63-yard bomb to Calvin Ridley. Tony Pollard ran for 119 yards and gave Tennessee a 17-7 lead with a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Levis still turned it over twice, once on a botched handoff with Pollard when the Titans were in scoring position in the first half and the other on a momentum-swinging pick six by Jimmie Ward in the third quarter that put the Texans in front 24-23. But unlike his devastating mistakes early in the season, Levis rebounded this time with a 70-yard touchdown pass to forgotten receiving threat Chig Okonkwo, as the big tight end caught a short crossing route, found a seam, and outran the Texans’ secondary to the endzone.
The Tennessee defense also stood tall despite its slow start and shorthanded secondary. Jarvis Brownlee took advantage of John Metchie not being on the same page as Stroud just before halftime, stepping into the spot Metchie was supposed to be and becoming the first AFC South defender to intercept Houston’s star QB in his two seasons in the league. The Titans made good on the pick with Nick Folk’s career long-tying field goal of 56 yards, one of three field goals he made from 50+ yards on the day.
The defense wasn’t done. Kenneth Murray got a second interception off Stroud in the second half and the Titans sacked him four times, Jeffery Simmons leading the way getting into the backfield and seemingly every critical juncture of the game as the Titans allowed the Texans just three points in their final nine offensive possessions. That field goal came after Houston managed just seven yards following a muffed punt by Jha’Quan Jackson in Tennessee territory.
The game was still very much in doubt in the final minutes, but for the first time all season, the Titans' defense ran into some good fortune. Stroud’s apparent go-ahead touchdown pass to Collins was called back for an illegal shift in which Houston had two players in motion at the snap, one of 11 penalties assessed to Demeco Ryans’ team Sunday.
Simmons then drew a holding penalty and had a run stuff to end the drive effectively, but the Texans still appeared to be in a great position to tie the game with a field goal. That’s when the normally reliable Ka’imi Fairbairn shanked a 28-yard chip shot to preserve a 30-27 Tennessee lead. It was the first time in 11 games that a Titans’ opponent reached the end zone and did not come away with any points.
Houston had one last chance, starting a drive from its own seven with 1:29 to go, but a Simmons sack and a pair of incompletions led to a fourth-down prayer. Stroud took a shotgun snap from his one, was immediately pressured, and ultimately sacked out of the back of the end zone by Harold Landry for a safety.
The Titans recovered the onside kick and picked up their first win over a team with a winning record in 2024 while putting up a season-high 32 points. That’s the most a Tennessee offense has scored since the Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown led unit put up 34 in a blowout of the Dolphins in week 17 of the 2021 season.
Tennessee is now 3-0 when scoring more than 17 points this season, a stat that you can bet will not go unnoticed by Callahan. The head coach has preached to his offense in recent weeks the need to score 23-24 points per game to give themselves a chance to win. That’s what they did Sunday in a road win that was one of the more stunning results in the NFL this season.
It is just one victory and the Titans remain just 3-8 – four games back of the Texans in the AFC South race – but the season is not over. Titans players pointed out this week that five of their final seven games beginning with the Texans were against AFC South division rivals and if they could get hot they still had time to turn the season around. They noted that two years ago the Jaguars sat 3-7 and four games back of the Titans before running off seven straight wins to steal the division title and the playoff berth.
No one outside the Tennessee locker room probably believed any of that talk this week. Going from 2-8 to a playoff berth would defy much of what we’ve seen from the Titans this season, including the special teams’ gaffes, blown coverages, three turnovers, and penalties that we saw Sunday. But the Titans found a way and will keep things interesting as the calendar flips to December next weekend just in time for a trip to Washington to take on a Commanders team that has suddenly lost three straight games to fall to 7-5.
Win that one and maybe, just maybe, people will begin to believe that locker room chatter. But Sunday was a big step for the head coach, the QB, and a team that needed to show it could line up and compete with a top-tier NFL team.
The Titans took plenty of punches, but for the first time this season, they delivered their own blows in return and secured by far the biggest win of the Callahan era to date.
If you have more information about this story, please email me at Steve.Layman@newschannel5.com.
