Sunday October 30, 2011
EverBank Field, Jacksonville Florida
Titans Dominate Fourth Quarter For Fifth Win of 2011
Down 20-3 with just over ten minutes left in the game, the Titans were down but not out. In a driving rain storm, nothing was working for their offense that saw Stephen Tulloch and Colin Allred both leave with injuries, and their offense sputter without sustaining any kind of substantial drive. It was at that ten minute point that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll elected to do something no one expected. He told rookie Cam Newton, who had already committed two turnovers (both in the red zone), to do what he does best. Take over games. Newton was electric in back to back drives, putting passes directly on the mark one right after another. If the pass wasn't there, Newton would take off and run. He would throw two touchdowns, both to rookie Julio Jones, and the Titans were back in business with just over five minutes left in the game.
The defense, which was stout all game, stepped up as well. Maurice Jones-Drew was shut off in the fourth quarter and with David Garrard not playing due to injury, Charlie Whitehurst wasn't exactly electric. With just over two minutes left, the Titans had the chance to tie or even win the game. They found themselves in field goal range with just a minute and a half left. "I was more than happy with sending the game into overtime," said head coach Mike Mularkey after the game, "I felt we could beat them if we got there and with the rain, I didn't want to take any chances." That said, with just under a minute remaining, Mularkey elected to run the ball from the seventeen yard-line, lucky for the Titans, Johnson found a gap and took off. He made a guy miss and trotted into the end zone, with the extra point, the Titans were up by four. Whitehurst and company couldn't get anything done and the Titans came away with their fifth win of the season.
The Titans are riding a mere two game win streak as they come back home to take on division rival and current AFC South leader, the 5-2 Indianapolis Colts. The Colts will be without Dallas Clark and offensive guard Mike Pollak due to injury. The Titans are still without Kenny Britt who may be back after the bye week in week ten, and Bo Scaife with his dislocated hip.