Titans Squeak Past Raiders In Low-Scoring Affair, 13-10
By Michelle Manson December 22, 2001

On a rainy, sloppy Saturday night in Oakland, the Titans were able to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season after defeating the Raiders 13-10.

Neither team had many opportunities to put points on the board in the first half. The Titans only got past mid-field one time, while Oakland only reached the redzone once.

Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed a 40-yard field goal with three minutes left to go in the half, the only significant scoring chance for either team.

The offenses picked up for both teams in the second half, although defense dominated on both sides.

Seven minutes into the third quarter, kicker Joe Nedney put the Titans on the board first. Nedney nailed a 22-yard field goal, after wide receiver Drew Bennett made a marvelous effort to draw a pass interference call on the Raiders.

In that particular series, the Titans had a first and goal at the 10-yard line, but were unable to reach the endzone and had to settle for three points instead of seven.

On their next possession, the Titans increased their lead to 10-0 after a nine-play, 82-yard drive was capped off by a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve McNair to wide receiver Kevin Dyson.

McNair's numbers for the game were good at best, especially when compared to his performances over the past few weeks. However, a back injury had limited his practice time throughout the week, and he was feelilng nowhere near one-hundred percent tonight.

McNair finished the night going 15 of 27 for 178 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Raiders failed to score until the fourth quarter, but they tied things up in a hurry once they got going.

At the start of the fourth, quarterback Rich Gannon hit tight end Roland Williams with a four-yard pass in the endzone to cut the Titans lead to three.

Gannon, the AFC's top-rated quarterback, did not have one of his best performances of the season, as he struggled against the Titans defense.

Gannon finished the night 29 of 50 for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz credits his defense with sticking to its gameplan and confusing the Raider offense for most of the night.

'We mixed our zones and mans,' Schwartz said. 'We got a little pressure and made the ball come out.'

Although they have struggled throughout much of the season, Schwartz also gave much praise to his secondary, which has shutdown two of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL in back-to-back weeks.

'They (Titans defensive backs) are confident because they are playing together more,' Schwartz said. 'When you play together long enough, you should see some results like tonight's.'

After a McNair pass was intercepted by E. Allen, Janikowski knotted the score at ten after nailing a 35-yard field goal.

With just under six minutes left to go in the quarter, Oakland had a chance to take its first lead of the night. Janikowski, however, missed a 33-yard field goal which would have put the Raiders up by three.

The Titans took advantage of the opportunity to retake the lead, when with just under two minutes left, after a 13-play, 74-yard drive culuminated in a 21-yard Nedney field goal which gave Tennessee its final lead at 13-10.

Oakland gave the Titans one last scare on the Raiders last series of the game. However, the normally automatic Janikowski missed his third field goal (42 yards) of the night with eleven seconds left in regulation. Overtime apparently was not in the cards tonight.

Nedney summarized the Titans win in short, but sweet fashion. 'I got one when we needed it, and the defense held them out of short field goal range. They made Sebastian(Janikowski) attempt a mid-range kick and we got the win.'

Head coach Jeff Fisher was a bit more desciptive in his analysis of the victory.

'We did what we set out to do,' Fisher said. 'We needed to convert third downs and keep their offense off the field. We had the ball eleven minutes in the third quarter and that was the difference in the ball game.'

Next week, the Titans will look to go over the .500 mark for the first time all season, when they host the Cleveland Browns next Sunday at Adelphia Coliseum.

Although the possibility of making the playoffs is slim to none for the Titans, Fisher says his team will play their next two games like they still have a chance.

'Mathematically, we're still in it right now,' Fisher said, 'But realistically we're not, so we're just playing ball.'