Ryan Tannehill ranThe Tennessee Titans defeated the New Orleans Saints 23-21 Sunday to win their sixth consecutive NFL-best victory.
The Titans (8-2), joined the 2003 Philadelphia Eagles as the second NFL team to win five straight games over playoff teams. Tennessee improved to 7-0 against 2020 playoff teams.
The Saints (5-4) lost their second consecutive game after Jameis Winston, the Saints’ quarterback, sustained an ACL injury that ended his season.
They also played without Alvin Kamara, a four-time Pro Bowl runningback, and Terron Armstead, left tackle (knee, shoulder injuries), and C.J. Gardner-Johnson (foot), who was recently placed on injured reserve.
The Saints still had a chance of tying late.
Trevor Siemian was the Titans’ designated survivor quarterback for part of last year. He threw a 15-yard TD to Marquez Callaway with 1:06 remaining, pulling the Saints to 23-21. Adam Trautman was flagged as a false starter, bringing the Saints back down to 7 on the 2-pointer.
Siemian’s pass at Mark Ingram at right edge of end zone was incomplete. Titans cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins protected. It was the eighth consecutive 2-point conversion failure for the Saints over several seasons.
The Titans won their tightest win yet by regaining the onside kick.
If kicker Brian Johnson hadn’t missed two more points earlier, the Saints could have scored the extra point to win. Johnson did kick a 20 yard field goal with 5 minutes left to pull New Orleans within 23-15. However, the Titans stopped Johnson on five plays when they were trailing 23-12.
Jeffery Simmons, who had three of five Titans’ sacks last week against the Rams, was a career-high, and had two more at halftime. Harold Landry had a sack as well, making it a season-high 10, while the Titans had four sacks by halftime.
The AFC-leading Titans had some luck prolonging their streak.
A slight roughing-the-passer penalty on linebacker Kaden Elliss wiped out Tannehill’s interception in the end zone by safety Marcus Williams, and he later scored on a 1-yard sneak for a 13-6 lead. Tannehill also lost a snap towards the end of the third quarter. A.J. Brown recovered for a 6-yard gain as well as a first down.
Dylan Cole stripped Deonte Harris of the ball on the opening kickoff of the third quarter to set up Tannehill’s 2-yard TD pass to MyCole Pruitt. Fans started volleying a beachball around the Tennessee sideline’s lower bowl.
The ball vanished as the Saints kept getting it back in the fourth quarter.
Ingram, who was the Saints’ third-quarter rushing leader, scored on a 13 yard run to begin the comeback. New Orleans was then tied at 20-12.
INJURIES
Saints: Ty Montgomery II, WR for the Saints, went to the locker room with an inured finger after New Orleans’ second series. He didn’t return.
Bud Dupree, Titans’ biggest free agent signing, was seen in the locker room with an abdominal problem and was later declared out. Both linebacker Ola Adeyi and Taylor Lewan, the OT, experienced cramps but both returned to work.
UP NEXT
The Saints continue a 2-game road swing to Philadelphia next Sunday.
Next Sunday, the Titans host Houston Texans.
Source: Fox News
