Tennessee Titans Improve to 2-6 After OT Thriller In Nashville

Nashville, Tn – The Tennessee Titans won an overtime thriller at home against the New England Patriots, 20-17. This was the Titans first win at home this season and the first win for Mason Rudolph as a Titans starter.

 

Overview

The Titans came out hot on offense in the first half and looked like a team on the rise. Rudolph was wheeling and dealing to the tune of two scoring drives to give the Titans a 10-7 lead going into halftime. The engine of the offense was halfback Tony Pollard who finished with 154 total yards on the day.

Tennessee employed multiple weapons on the day, as more than eight pass catchers took the field. Rookies Bryce Oliver and Jha’Quan Jackson played significant snaps getting valuable reps. The star of the day was Nick Westbrook-Ikhine who had five receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Sunday would mark his fourth straight game with a touchdown catch.

The defense struggled some, especially containing Patriots’ quarterback, Drake Maye, who had multiple impactful runs in the first half. Outside of that, they were able to bottle up the Patriots’ offense and force them into tough down-and-distances all game. Safety Amani Hooker came down with two interceptions on the day to give him three on the year.

Defensive Coordinator, Dennard Wilson seemed to dial it up more on Sunday and gave his team chances to create opportunities for the offense. Those efforts paid off as the Titans came out on top of the turnover battle for the first time all season as they were plus-2 on the day.

The game was an emotional one for the team and coaching staff. The overtime victory marks the first overtime win at Nissan Stadium since defeating the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023.

 

Positives

Tennessee put up 400 total yards, their most this season. The defense held firm for the most part, holding the Patriots to just 27% on third downs and forcing three turnovers on the day.

The team got a win at home and played a complete four quarters of football in what was a long game in Nashville.   

 

Negatives

Injuries bit the Titans this week as both Quandre Diggs and Lloyd Cushenberry went down with lower extremity injuries in the game.

The defense allowed New England to score on all of their redzone trips and goal-to-go situations.

It was another heavy penalty day for Tennessee as they had 10 penalties for 67 yards on the day.

 

What To Look For

The Titans will have another huge test as they go back on the road to face the LA Chargers at So-Fi Stadium. The Chargers own the series record between the two teams with a 28-16-1 all-time record. The Titans defeated them in an overtime thriller at Nissan Stadium the last time they met.