Tennessee 23, Tampa Bay 17
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 27, 2011
Where: LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
Temperature:
47°
Head Official:
Bill Leavy
Attendance:
69143
By SportsDirect Inc.
Chris Johnson ran for a season-high 190 yards, Matt Hasselbeck threw a 2-yard touchdown to Damian Williams on fourth-and-goal and the Tennessee Titans held on for a 23-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Rookie Tommie Campbell returned a kickoff 84 yards and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Titans (6-5), who needed a win to stay within striking distance of Houston (8-3) in the AFC South.
The Buccaneers (4-7), meanwhile, have lost five straight and are all but out of playoff contention in the NFC.
Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman nearly pulled off his ninth-career fourth-quarter comeback, but he fumbled on fourth-and-short at the Titans’ 25-yard line and Tennessee ran out the clock. It was fitting that the game ended with a fumble on a day when rainy conditions led to a combined nine turnovers.
In the end, the Titans finally got a return on their investment from Johnson, who has struggled since signing a four-year, $54 million deal.
After rushing for just 13 yards on 12 carries in last week's loss to Atlanta, Johnson finally looked like a former 2,000-yard rusher. His 34-yard run to the Buccaneers’ 41-yard line was one of the biggest plays of the game.
Tennessee then drove to the 2-yard line before Hasselbeck hit Williams in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead score. Hasselbeck, who was playing with elbow and forearm injuries suffered last week, redeemed himself for a previous mistake that allowed Tampa Bay to take the lead.
Aqib Talib stepped in front of Hasselbeck's pass and returned it 27 yards for a score, giving the Buccaneers a 17-10 lead early in the fourth.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
| |
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
| Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
| Tampa Bay
|
308 |
122 |
186 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1.0 |
2 |
| Tennessee
|
352 |
202 |
150 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2.0 |
4 |
Upcoming Games
-
Tennessee will play their next game on the road against Buffalo.
The Titans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Tampa Bay will play their next game at home against Carolina.
The Buccaneers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
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