Tennessee Titans: I Remember Only The First Half, What the hell happened?
By Dave Bevan
So, I have to admit, I did not finish watching this game. I feel asleep after the first half, due to the exhaustion of witnessing the Ole Miss Rebels defeat Alabama on Saturday. The amount of alcohol I consumed and the lack of asleep just weighed in on me so much. So, I apologize for slacking on updating you on Twitter and posting this information late in the day. So, now that that is cleared, back to Tennessee Titans football.
How embarrassing was it to witness the second half meltdown for everyone else? I woke up expecting to see a rare Titans’ victory, but disappointment once again unfolded as I looked at the results on my ESPN app, with a WTF expression on my face. I can’t believe it. How? How did this happen? The boys in two-toned blue miraculously found a way to blow the biggest lead in franchise history. I don’t know about you, but that depresses me. I may just resort to more alcohol, but this time not out of celebration, this time to cure depression.
In the first half, I was amazed to see the Titans came out playing football again. A recovered Jake Locker looked solid after going 8/11 for 79 passing yards, 1 TD, and 1 rushing TD to put the Titans up 14-0 through the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Locker would come out of the game due to sustaining a thumb injury, but it was the possible concussion during his touchdown run that was the biggest concern for many. Charlie Whitehurst came in playing like a NFL rookie superstar making his professional debut. Whitehurst has been in the league for eight years, and he completed two TD passes in a game for the first time in his career, making it astonishing to witness a clipboard professional have such success.
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The first half ended with the Titans holding a 28-10 lead over the Browns.
Like I said, I don’t remember the second half. With disbelief, this is what I researched:
The third quarter was quiet for the most part. A Billy Cundiff 42-yard field goal to start the half cut the Titans lead to 28-13 for the Browns. The meltdown unfolded in the 4th quarter. With 11:02 remaining in the game, the Titans were forced to punt deep from their endzone, the Browns received a block on the punt from MLB Tank Carder that resulted in a safety as the ball landed out-of-bounds in the endzone, the Titans led 28-15. The rest of the game was all about Brian Hoyer and Travis Benjamin. With 6:49 remaining in the game, Hoyer connected a 17-yard pass to Benjamin in the endzone, the Titans now led by just six points.
With 3:03 left in the game, the Titans turned the ball over on downs at their own 42 when the Browns stopped Whitehurst on fourth down with inches to go. It was a controversial call as Whitehurst finished by sticking the ball across the first down marker and he didn’t recall hearing the refs stop his forward progress. Coach Ken Whisenhunt also thought Whitehurst got the ball across the first down marker.
Now with the momentum, the Browns made their comeback with another touchdown pass from Hoyer to Benjamin, giving the Browns a 29-28 lead after the extra point with 1:09 left in the game. The Titans attempted a comeback, but time expired just as Whitehurst connected a pass to Kendall Wright at mid-field.
The Tennessee Titans have now lost four straight. Next Sunday, the Titans (1-4) will host the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5). Aside from the Raiders, can they beat arguably the worst team in the NFL? Or will we witness another meltdown, and possible be rewarded with the worst team in the NFL crown? If you dare to care, the Jaguars at the Titans has a 12:00 p.m. CDT kickoff time at LP Field.