50 minutes of ‘same old, same old’, followed by 10 minutes of ‘what the hell just happened?!’
It finally happened!
Our first win of the season, ending our 10-game losing streak, finally came on Sunday with a nail-biting 22-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
A rollercoaster ride
I think it is safe to say that I, along with many Tennessee Titans fans, experienced every emotion known to man on Sunday when we travelled to Glendale to take on the Arizona Cardinals.
It started the way all other games this season have and got progressively worse, leaving us with a 15-point deficit by half time.
Feeling doomed to repeat the previous weeks, by the start of the fourth quarter, we had failed to reduce this at all.
But as we all know, a lot can happen in 15 seconds – let alone 15 minutes – and boy, did we make them count!
A vision of the future?
Sure, there were some kinks to work out but we finally saw what this team could be!
Our first red zone trip for two weeks resulted in a Tony Pollard touchdown, followed by what must be one of the strangest scoring drives many of us have ever seen.
It started as an interception thrown by Titans quarterback Cam Ward. The ball was then fumbled by the Cardinals defense, knocked about a bit – as half the players scrambled after the ball like cats catching a mouse – before we finally took back possession in the end zone. The result, a touchdown!
Ward utilised numerous offensive players including Calvin Ridley, Chig Okonkwo and Gunner Helm throughout the quarter. We pushed the ball downfield with fast, aggressive plays and long throws, resulting in a cohesion this team has not seen in some time.
Could it be that that Bo Hardegree has found a rhythm with this offense that Brian Callahan has failed to achieve in his time in Nashville so far?
Slye ends on a high
How broad is the broadside of a barn? Whatever it is, there have been serious questions about whether kicker Joey Slye can hit it.
In three games, including this one, he has missed four field goals and an extra point. How ironic, then, that winning the game relied on his, as-of-late questionable, abilities.
And while the ball did soar butt-clenchingly close to the uprights, it thankfully managed to squeeze through. That kick secured three points for a final score of 22-21 to the Titans with no time left.
While he is still on the hot seat, Slye’s first-ever game-winning field goal with less than two minutes on the clock may have given him a little breathing room.
That game-winning kick may have saved both him and Brian Callahan from an axing that was sure to come if this game had gone the other way.
Right now, they can breathe. But my advice would be to update their CVs anyway because unless we can keep winning, I do not see their futures being in Tennessee next year.
Next week, we travel to Las Vegas to face the 1-4 Raiders and I expect a dog-fight. Good ol’ fashioned scrapping football between two teams that both need to keep winning no matter what.
