Tales of the Titans: Lessons From an Unbelievable Win in Arizona
- Om Brown
- Oct 12
- 5 min read
I am in utter shock. Total disbelief. The Tennessee Titans won a football game. They didn’t just win, they won in one of the craziest ways possible. Down 21-6 in the 4th quarter, they somehow pulled off an electric comeback vs. the Cardinals. Rookie QB Cam Ward got his first win in one of the most unique ways ever.
I wasn’t planning to write about football this month. The Titans have been awful and postseason baseball is underway, and since it is my favorite sport, I have decided to cover baseball all October. However, I did hop on the Basel Pod in lieu of Sam to cover what happened in Week 4, and to preview Week 5 with Jordan. One of the reasons Jordan had me on was because his Arizona Cardinals were playing host to my Titans. And last week, they may have just played one of the most confusing, exciting, catastrophic contests of the last few seasons.
I spent last Sunday afternoon grilling chicken, mashing potatoes, making green beans, and dishing them out in my meal prep containers for the week. After doing some laundry and cleaning some stuff up after a morning lift, I was pretty beat. I sat down with my dad to have a successful hate-watch of the Yankees, watching in glee as the Blue Jays smashed them in Game 2 of the ALDS, 13-7. After dinner, I decided to play a quick game of Super Mega Baseball 4 to unwind before I had to go to sleep to get up early for work on Monday.
Since I reside in Connecticut, the Titans are typically never on, and since they suck, I don’t have Sunday Ticket. I do follow the team on their social media accounts, so I get their updates, and Jordan and I were texting back and forth throughout the day. When he told me that the game was getting interesting, and after I saw some highlights from the team’s Twitter, I decided to check the TV to see if they would be on for the final two minutes. What I witnessed was out of a story book. Let’s check it out, and see my biggest takeaways of what they need to carry into today's game against the Raiders.
Game Recap
The game started off about as bad as it could for the Titans, as Cards QB Kyler Murray connected with stud WR Marvin Harrison Jr for a 43-yard pass that set up a Michael Carter 1-yard run into the endzone for a TD. Tennessee answered back with a 44-yard Joey Slye field goal to make it a 7-3 game. Arizona immediately scored again with two big throws from Murray to Marv (20-yards, and 16-yards each) that set up a 12-yard scamper from Kyler to extend the lead to 14-3. After both squads traded punts, Titans RB Tony Pollard fumbled on the first play of the drive, letting the Cardinals score again via a Bam Knight 1-yard rush. Titans rookie kick returner Chimere Dike took the kickoff for 65-yards, but the offense sputtered and could only muster a 51-yard field goal from Slye, which he booted through. The score stayed at 21-6 going into the half as the teams swapped punts and the Titans had a turnover-on-downs.
The third quarter was uneventful, except for one play. Arizona drove down to the Tennessee 25-yard line, but Murray took a snap off the face, fumbling, and allowed the Titans to catch a break. However, they did nothing with it, punting back the ball right away. Both clubs traded punts again. The fourth period started off with another explosive Cardinals play, with RB Emari Demercado taking a carry 72 yards to the house, but he dropped the football right before the goal line, resulting in a touchback and Titans ball.
Ward and the offense used this to their advantage, as he made a nice throw to fellow rookie, TE Gunnar Helm. Pollard finished the drive off with a 1-yard run to make it 21-12. Slye missed the extra point, but it was good momentum for the squad. Zona punted on their next drive, giving Ward the ball back. The Titans then proceeded to score in one of the weirdest ways possible, with Ward’s pass getting deflected, then intercepted by Dadirion Taylor-Demerson, but he fumbled, and the ball somehow found its way to Tennessee WR Tyler Lockett in the end zone.
The TD made it a 21-19 game, and put major pressure on the Cardinals. They cracked under the pressure, punting the ball back to Ward. He made smart decisions on the 2-minute drill, and made a beautiful 47-yard pass to WR Calvin Ridley. This allowed Slye to come on and kick a game-winning 29-yard field goal, giving the team their first win of the season, 22-21.
Game Observations
1. Ward looks very good.
Killa Cam struggled with accuracy again, posting just a 53.9% completion rate, but he threw for the most yards all season with 265 of them. He continues to make very good throws, as well as good decisions.
2. Calvin Ridley stepped up big time.
Rid went over 60 yards for the first time this season, as well as hitting 100 yards for the second time as a Titan. It was great to see Ward connect with him more. In my opinion, there's nothing better for a young QB than a reliable veteran target.
3. This was the weirdest collapse I’ve ever seen.
The Cardinals had a 21-6 lead the whole first half. They scored all their points in the first 20 minutes of the half. On top of that, they had a trio of the stupidest/unluckiest plays go against them in the Murray fumble, Demercardo dropping the ball, and the crazy INT to TD sequence. Surely, they aren’t really this bad, right?
Stats and Fantasy
Scores via NFL Fantasy (PPR)
Cam Ward: 21/39, 265 yards, 1 INT, 9.00 Fantasy Pts
Tony Pollard: 14 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD, long of 14, 14.80 Fantasy Pts
Calvin Ridley: 5 catches, 131 yards, long of 47, 18.10 Fantasy Pts
Chig Okonkwo: 4 catches, 48 yards, long of 16, 8.80 Fantasy Pts
Joey Slye: 1/2 Extra Points, 3/3 Field Goals, long of 51, 12.00 Fantasy Pts
Final Thoughts
I still don’t know what the hell happened, but a win is a win. It was great to see the team finally gut one of those out. They stayed together as one, and were able to come away with the victory despite needing a lot to go their way. The squad still isn’t very good, and the season looks to be a long one. However, Ward has flashed greatness and made some big time throws. There is hope for the future. Speaking of the future, the rest of the month for Tennessee looks like this; They visit the Raiders (today), host their former coach Mike Vrabel and the Patriots (10/19), and travel to their division foe, Indianapolis (10/26).
I don’t know how much football I will be covering, so make sure to tune into the Basel Pod. Sam and Jordan pump out great content, and will be doing so all year to make sure you are prepared every week. Most of my time this month will be spent watching and breaking down playoff baseball, so if you are a fan of America’s Pastime, I’ll be there with you this October. Until next time, #TitanUp!
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