Remember the Titans, for once
Win over Broncos puts Tennessee in the hunt for its first AFC playoff spot since 2008
The Tennessee Titans have been playing some beautiful music in Nashville this season. Meantime, the Indianapolis Colts hit a sour note against rival Houston in the madcap three-way race for the AFC South crown.
Sunday, Tennessee used a dominant running game and overcame some missed scoring chances, a Denver rally and a rare off day by Marcus Mariota in a 13-10 win.
That keeps alive the Titans’ dream for a playoff spot for the first time since 2008. It keeps them tied for the division lead with Houston, which rebounded from a three-game losing skid with a 22-17 win over Indianapolis.
That puts the Colts on the outside looking up at the Titans and Texans with little hope of changing that situation.
Tennessee earned its biggest win in years, but needed a last-minute turnover to blunt Denver’s comeback from a 13-0 halftime deficit.
With Denver needing 25 yards to attempt a game-tying field goal and 53 seconds on the clock, Trevor Siemian hit A.J. Derby with a pass. But Avery Williamson ripped the ball away and Daimion Stafford collected the Titans defence’s second fumble recovery of the season.
It could not come at a more opportune time as Denver was taking advantage of Mariota’s off-key passing — just six completions on 20 throws.
As much as Tennessee needed a win, Denver needed one as well to maintain control of an AFC wildcard spot. For much of the game, they floundered.
They didn’t score until the fourth quarter, when Siemian hit Emmanuel Sanders for a touchdown.
Denver settled for a field goal by Brandon McManus with 4:28 to play. Then came the turnover with Tennessee on its heels, allowing the Titans to run out the clock.
Ultimately, the Broncos were undone by a run defence that ranks stunningly low at No. 28.
The one aspect keeping the Broncos in contention was their defence. And the Titans missed an opportunity to drop the hammer with a 19-play, eight-minute drive in the second quarter. Mariota drove from his own three to Denver’s three, but an interference penalty to Delanie Walker wiped out a TD pass and they settled for a field goal and a 13-0 lead.
As Siemian began to warm up and Demaryius Thomas piled up 126 yards on 10 catches it looked like that nixed Titans’ touchdown might prove costly until Mariota’s defence ended the day on a happy note.
Texans luck out
Just under two months ago, the Texans owned a two-game lead in the AFC South, including a pair of victories over the Titans and Colts. But they’ve gagged on that lead with the Titans sneaking up and quarterback Brock Osweiler widely criticized.
Osweiler wasn’t great again Sunday, but the defence stymied a final drive by Andrew Luck, who was intercepted three times during the game. With Nick Novak kicking five field goals and a TD from Lamar Miller, it was enough to offset another uneven offensive show from Osweiler.
“All of these games are like that in the month of December,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said as Luck made it even more challenging, moving the Colts to the Texans’ 42-yard line with 1:24 left.
But on fourth-and-one, a blitz forced an errant screen pass to Robert Turbin.
“There are multiple options on that play and I did not make a great decision,” Luck said.