Titans Win Last-Minute Thriller, Move Into Wild Card Hunt
The Titans won at home against the Raiders Sunday afternoon thanks to an outstanding final drive from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The first half was marked by a lack of offense for both teams who combined for a total of five field goals. The Raiders took the edge going into the locker rooms with a 9-6 lead that would’ve been worse if not for long-time Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who missed a 32 yard field goal to end the 2nd quarter.
The second half opened in an exciting fashion with Fitzpatrick finding UT alumnus Justin Hunter open for a 54 yard touchdown pass. Two more field goals from Titan’s kicker Rob Bironas gave the team a 16-12 lead with eight minutes left to go in the game. The Raiders offense had been sputtering for the majority of the game, so it came as a surprise to everyone when rookie quarterback Matt McGloin led the Raiders down the field with four passes over 13 yards, the last of which was a 27 yard touchdown to take a 19-16 lead.
With 6:10 left on the game clock, Ryan Fitzpatrick took the field and went to work. The Titan’s offense constructed a drive that consisted of 14 plays and melted an entire six minutes off the clock. The final play of the drive was a touchdown pass to Kendall Wright that gave the Titans a 23-19 lead. With only 10 seconds left in the game and needing a touchdown, the Raiders could not manage to score and instead fumbled the ball while time expired.
With this win the Titans move into the Wild Card race, but have tough tests coming against the Colts, Cardinals and Broncos. The Titans will need to play their best football in December if they want to ensure a spot in the playoffs.
Edited by Will Lomas
