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GLENDALE, AZ ― Well how about that: The Tennessee Titans won a football game.
The Titans put their 10-game losing streak to bed with a 22-21 comeback win versus the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Oct. 5, getting coach Brian Callahan and quarterback Cam Ward their first win as a tandem. The Titans (1-4) trailed by 15 points for most of the game and looked poised to go down three scores in the fourth quarter on a long Arizona run, but a mental mistake turned what should've been six Arizona points into Titans football.
Rookie quarterback Cam Ward responded with a scoring drive. Then the Titans defense forced a quick stop. Then the Titans scored a touchdown on a play that started with a Cardinals interception. Suddenly the score was 21-19 with a little under five minutes to play, and the Titans needing a stop to finish the comeback.
Arizona drained some clock, but the defense came up with its stop, getting the ball back to the offense with 1:53 left and no timeouts from the Titans' own 18-yard line. After a couple quick completions, Ward found tight end Chig Okonkwo for 16 yards to get the team near midfield and then a 38-yard dagger to receiver Calvin Ridley to get the Titans well into kicker Joey Slye's range.
Slye connected on a 29-yard field goal to win the game.
Ward nearly threw the game away. At the 4:53 mark in the fourth quarter, Ward dropped back on a third-and-2 from the Cardinals' 20-yard line trailing by nine points. An incompletion wouldn't have been the worst thing; the Titans could've easily kicked a field goal from there and made it a one-score game. But Ward forced a pass to Ridley into a tight window and was intercepted by safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, seemingly ending the Titans' threat.
Not so fast. Taylor-Demerson went to the ground untouched after the interception and couldn't keep control of the football. Madness ensued. Several Cardinals tripped and kicked the ball backward trying to recover the fumble. Titans receiver Tyler Lockett squeezed ahead and landed on the ball in the end zone. Touchdown, Lockett's first as a Titan.
Ward was erratic, late on several throws and couldn't find any rhythm on deep shots. He only completed 5 of his 16 attempts in the first half, finishing with just 58 passing yards. Factor in sacks, and the Titans only netted 42 yards through the air before halftime, with the offense stalling across midfield three times.
For a brief moment in the fourth quarter, Ward showed signs of life. With the Titans trailing 21-6, Ward orchestrated a six-play, 80-yard drive headlined by a 47-yard deep crosser to Ridley that got the Titans into the red zone for the first time in eight quarters and a 19-yard rainbow to tight end Gunnar Helm perfectly lofted over Helm's outside shoulder that set up a 1-yard Tony Pollard touchdown.
Ward finished the day 21-for-39 with 265 yards and an interception. Ridley caught five passes for 131 yards.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray tested the Titans defense with several deep shots early in the game, including a floater of a heave that should've been picked on the game's opening series. Despite the fact that cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis and safety Xavier Woods both had shots at the ball, Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., outmuscled both for a 43-yard catch that set the Cardinals up on the 1-yard line.
Next time out, Murray led the Cardinals on a seven-play, 65-yard scoring drive with two more passes to Harrison that gained 16 and 20 yards. The result was an early 14-3 lead that allowed the Cardinals to chew clock and coast for much of the rest of the afternoon.
The Cardinals' lone additional touchdown came after a short field earned off a Titans fumble. The Cardinals had another touchdown taken off the board early in the fourth quarter when running back Emari Demercado let go of the ball too soon on a would-be 72-yard touchdown, giving the Titans a touchback and a comeback opportunity.
The Titans conclude the third leg of their ongoing road trip with a battle in Las Vegas against the Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on FOX.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward beat Cardinals on crazy comeback on Joey Slye FG
Continue reading...
The Titans put their 10-game losing streak to bed with a 22-21 comeback win versus the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Oct. 5, getting coach Brian Callahan and quarterback Cam Ward their first win as a tandem. The Titans (1-4) trailed by 15 points for most of the game and looked poised to go down three scores in the fourth quarter on a long Arizona run, but a mental mistake turned what should've been six Arizona points into Titans football.
Rookie quarterback Cam Ward responded with a scoring drive. Then the Titans defense forced a quick stop. Then the Titans scored a touchdown on a play that started with a Cardinals interception. Suddenly the score was 21-19 with a little under five minutes to play, and the Titans needing a stop to finish the comeback.
Arizona drained some clock, but the defense came up with its stop, getting the ball back to the offense with 1:53 left and no timeouts from the Titans' own 18-yard line. After a couple quick completions, Ward found tight end Chig Okonkwo for 16 yards to get the team near midfield and then a 38-yard dagger to receiver Calvin Ridley to get the Titans well into kicker Joey Slye's range.
Slye connected on a 29-yard field goal to win the game.
What the heck happened there?
Ward nearly threw the game away. At the 4:53 mark in the fourth quarter, Ward dropped back on a third-and-2 from the Cardinals' 20-yard line trailing by nine points. An incompletion wouldn't have been the worst thing; the Titans could've easily kicked a field goal from there and made it a one-score game. But Ward forced a pass to Ridley into a tight window and was intercepted by safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, seemingly ending the Titans' threat.
Not so fast. Taylor-Demerson went to the ground untouched after the interception and couldn't keep control of the football. Madness ensued. Several Cardinals tripped and kicked the ball backward trying to recover the fumble. Titans receiver Tyler Lockett squeezed ahead and landed on the ball in the end zone. Touchdown, Lockett's first as a Titan.
Cam Ward stats: One gutsy quarter
Ward was erratic, late on several throws and couldn't find any rhythm on deep shots. He only completed 5 of his 16 attempts in the first half, finishing with just 58 passing yards. Factor in sacks, and the Titans only netted 42 yards through the air before halftime, with the offense stalling across midfield three times.
For a brief moment in the fourth quarter, Ward showed signs of life. With the Titans trailing 21-6, Ward orchestrated a six-play, 80-yard drive headlined by a 47-yard deep crosser to Ridley that got the Titans into the red zone for the first time in eight quarters and a 19-yard rainbow to tight end Gunnar Helm perfectly lofted over Helm's outside shoulder that set up a 1-yard Tony Pollard touchdown.
Ward finished the day 21-for-39 with 265 yards and an interception. Ridley caught five passes for 131 yards.
Titans defense gets put on skis early
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray tested the Titans defense with several deep shots early in the game, including a floater of a heave that should've been picked on the game's opening series. Despite the fact that cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis and safety Xavier Woods both had shots at the ball, Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., outmuscled both for a 43-yard catch that set the Cardinals up on the 1-yard line.
Next time out, Murray led the Cardinals on a seven-play, 65-yard scoring drive with two more passes to Harrison that gained 16 and 20 yards. The result was an early 14-3 lead that allowed the Cardinals to chew clock and coast for much of the rest of the afternoon.
The Cardinals' lone additional touchdown came after a short field earned off a Titans fumble. The Cardinals had another touchdown taken off the board early in the fourth quarter when running back Emari Demercado let go of the ball too soon on a would-be 72-yard touchdown, giving the Titans a touchback and a comeback opportunity.
What's next?
The Titans conclude the third leg of their ongoing road trip with a battle in Las Vegas against the Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on FOX.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward beat Cardinals on crazy comeback on Joey Slye FG
Continue reading...
