Titans Lose Late Lead For Second Week In A Row, Lose To Cincy 23-21
By Michelle Manson January 6, 2002

On a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon at Adelphia Coliseum, the Titans lose a late lead and are defeated by the Cincinnati Bengals in the season finale for both teams by a final score of 23-21.

Both teams had trouble holding on to the ball in the first quarter. Titans punt returner Joe Walker fumbled on his opening punt attempt. Cincy recovered just past midfield, but were unable to score due to a fumble of their own on four and inches.

Linebacker Eddie Robinson recovered the Jon Kitna fumble and the Titans took advantage after a beautiful 41-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Derrick Mason from quarterback Steve McNair.

On the play, McNair set a new career-high for passing yardage in a season, eclipsing his previous mark of 3,228 yards.

McNair gave the Titans a two-touchdown lead to start the second quarter. McNair ran for six yards straight up the middle to knotch on six more.

Running back Corey Dillon got the Bengals on the board midway through the second quarter on an easy, two-yard touchdown run.

In an ugly defensive lapse at the end of the half by the Titans defense, Cincinnati was able to tie the score at 14, going 76 yards in 48 seconds. The six-play drive was capped off by a 34-yard Dillon touchdown run.

Dillon finished the first half with 58 yards on 12 carries for two touchdowns.

Just before the end of the first half, Mason reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the season on a 15-yard reception from McNair.

Mason is the first Titans receiver to reach the 1,000-yard milestone since Oiler teammates Haywood Jeffries and Drew Hill each went over 1,000 yards in 1991.

Mason final numbers for the day were a fabulous way for him to end his 2001 season: 9 catches for 186 yards and two touchdown receptions.

Sunday's game was just one of the many stellar performances Mason had in 2001. While he is satisfied with his production, he is still disappointed with the team's performance as a whole.

'This season was a year to remember (for me),' Mason said. 'But next year's going to be even better. I wish we had had a better season, but we didn't. We didn't have the season we expected to have at the beginning of the year.'

Cincinnati kicker Neil Rackers had two straight scores for the Bengals to open the second half. Rackers nailed his first field goal from 30 yards out, and added another 33-yarder after Cincinnati took advantage of an Eddie George fumble.

Backup quarterback Neil O'Donnell came in to replace McNair (sore back) in the second half, and picked right up where McNair left off.

(McNair finished the day 11 for 18 with 173 yards and a touchdown pass).

O'Donnell connected with Mason for 35 yards near the end of the third quarter, after Mason made a beautiful grab and then dove over the goal-line for the touchdown and a one-point Titan lead.

Cincy had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth quarter as the Bengals had a first-down on the Titans' eight-yard line. No points were scored, however, after a Corey Dillon attempt was intercepted in the endzone by Greg Favors.

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz credits Favors for his hard work but was disappointed that the offense couldn't take advantage of the interception.

'Greg's worked really hard,' Schwartz said. 'He's got great hands, and he takes a lot of pride in it. He stepped up and made a big play when we needed it. Unfortunately, we couldn't capitalize on it after that.'

The Titans looked like they would hang on for the win late in the game, when it appeared cornerback DeRon Jenkins had intercepted a Jon Kitna pass with less than two minutes left in the game.

However, the ruling on the field was overturned, and the Titans coaching staff failed to challenge the play. Cincinnati subsequently continued to march down the field, resulting in a Rackers' 34-yard field goal with 25 seconds left, which proved to be the game-winner.

The big performers of the day for the Bengals were Kitna and wide receiver Darnay Scott. Kitna finished the day 28 of 47 for 340 yards and zero touchdowns. Scott had an impressive nine catches for a total of 152 yards.

Schwartz said after the game that Cincinnati's biggest weapon is its' wide receivers, and they were utilized in an effective manner today.

'They went to their strength, which is all their wide receivers out there,' Schwartz said. 'They leave Dillon on the field and spread out and run the ball.'

The Titans finish the season with a record of 7-9 and will fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Both the players and coaches expressed their disappointment after today's game.

'We just fell short,' Mason said. 'We can go back to a play here or a play there, but we just didn't get it done in the last two games and do what we needed to do in either game.'

Head coach Jeff Fisher echoed Mason's statements.

'This team realized this year that every single play has an outcome and an influence on the game,' Fisher said. 'Every single play. Today was a great example of that. When you can't make a play on the last drive, it definitely has an impact on the game.'

'We didn't make plays when we needed to. We had opportunities to do so and we didn't.'

Turnovers and penalties proved to be a decisive factor in the Titans' inability to hold on to the lead and ultimately win the game. Tennessee had two fumbles and eleven penalties for a total of 95 yards.

Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger says the mistakes were the difference in the game.

'I thought the first half was where we lost the game,' Heimerdinger said. 'We're inside the 15-yard line four times and get two touchdowns. On two of the series we lose ten yards on both of them. Those killed us.'

'We did some silly things there when we had the chance to take the game over at the very beginning and just make it a complete blowout. We didn't do it.'

As a side note, Titans center Bruce Matthews quite possibly played in the last game of his record-setting, 19-year career. Matthews did not say for certain that he would not be back next year, but every indication is that retirement has finally arrived.

'I'm very thankful and honored to have played this long,' Matthews said. 'It's a long shot to come back. It's been a great run and I'm very humbled to be standing before you. It's gone fast.'

'He certainly goes out a winner in my book,' Fisher said. 'It's been an honor for me if he does retire to have had him on this football team for as many years as he's played.'