Cincinnati’s troubles continue
TITANS 24, BENGALS 20
NASHVILLE, TENN.» The Tennessee Titans are starting to show they can finish in style. The result is the best start for this franchise since 2008.
Marcus Mariota tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to DeMarco Murray with 36 seconds left , and the Titans rallied to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 24-20 on Sunday for their fourth straight win.
Now the Titans (6-3) have their longest winning streak since winning five straight in 2009.
“I use the word resilient a lot, but I think that’s the makeup of this team,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “It’s amazing that they believe in themselves, they just know we always have a chance to win. That’s important in this business.”
Murray ran for two touchdowns, and Mariota finished with 264 yards passing.
The Bengals (3-6) lost for the third time in four games despite sacking Mariota four times. They started with three defensive starters scratched and lost a fourth when linebacker Vontaze Burfict was ejected in the second quarter after pushing the arm of an official.
Cincinnati took its only lead at 20-17 on a 70-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green with 5:03 left, but the Bengals couldn’t stop the Titans, who drove 73 yards for the winning TD.
They had one last chance. On their final play, Dalton threw deep only to have Titans safety Kevin Byard knock the ball down.
“Not getting a ‘W’ really hurts,” Green said.