A Look Back at the Last Tennessee Titans Playoff Win Prior to 2018
By Kyle Zwiazek
Sports are a beautiful thing. It gives fans something to love and hate. While doing that, it gives fans the opportunity to grow with their teams through the good and the bad times. Until January 6, 2018, the last time the Tennessee Titans won a playoff game was January 3, 2004.
When the Houston Oilers moved to Nashville in 1997, there was a lot to be excited about. Owner Bud Adams moved the team to Tennessee because they were having trouble drawing fans in Houston. There was a lot to like. The new Titans had a young quarterback in Steve McNair and a Heisman Trophy-winning running back in Eddie George. Within three years, the Titans were in the Super Bowl and just missed a shot at winning, literally by inches. Needless to say, Tennessee Titans fans fell in love with the team early. Little did they know it would be a long road until the team had that kind of glory again.
That Day
Think back to January 3, 2004; where were you? That was a long time ago. To be precise, it was 14 years ago. For myself, I was a nine-year-old Titans fan living outside of New York City that had maybe one opportunity a year to watch my favorite team play. Most of my knowledge of the team was from reading and playing Madden 2004. I knew all of the players and was ecstatic that I had a chance to watch the Titans play on national television. My favorite player was Eddie George, and he still is to this day. Everything was right in the world at the time, but little did I know that I would not have this feeling of excitement again until I was 23 years old. Many Titans fans know that feeling and remember it well.
Like so many Titans playoff games, they had the 4:37 kick on Saturday of Wild Card weekend. As the Wild Card selection that year, Tennessee had to play on the road in Baltimore, even though they had a better record. This can be blamed on Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts winning the division.
The Game
Tennessee Titans
The game itself was as nerve-racking as ever. The Titans led off the scoring with a touchdown run by running back Chris Brown (remember him?). That was quickly changed when the Ravens defense intercepted McNair for a touchdown a few minutes later. The Ravens had the momentum at that point and ended the half with a field goal to go into halftime up 10-7.
The second half was when the Titans really turned it on, with a pass halfway through the first quarter to Justin McCareins from McNair for a touchdown. This put the Titans up 14-10. Then, in the fourth quarter, kicker Gary Anderson hit a 45-yard field goal to put the Titans up 17-10. The Ravens responded with a Todd Heap Touchdown from Anthony Wright to tie the game with just over four minutes to go. Tennessee was able to march down the field and get Anderson back in field goal range. Like he had done many times before that, Anderson nailed the field goal with 33 seconds left in the game and ultimately sealed the win for the Titans.
*Scoring drives and game information confirmed by Pro Football Reference.
Today
Looking back on that win, it was a grind-out victory for the Titans. They were hit with some adversity, but were able to score when it mattered. Unlike the game in 2018 against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Titans were not down big. The modern version of the team was able to break the streak and get a nice win in Kansas City. As a young fan, I never would have thought it would take 14 years to see another Titans playoff win. Although I would have appreciated more earlier, it felt great to get the W. Fans stick with teams through the good and the bad. Things are looking up in Nashville and it is exciting to see what the near future holds for this team.