The Tennessee Titans stormed back with a roaring second half Thursday night to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17, on Randy Bullock's game-winning field goal.
The victory pulled the Titans out of a four-game funk in which they'd lost three, including last week's second-half dud against Pittsburgh. Following the win, coach Mike Vrabel celebrated his team's tenacity and resilience.
"You've got to be willing to take some shots and willing to bleed and be able to taste it and come back swinging," Vrabel said, per the team's official website. "And that's why it's an honor to coach this football team. The guys care, do whatever they can do. It's not always perfect. They took care of the football, complementary football.
"I mean ... we had the funeral for the Titans. You know, it was yesterday or today. But we're not dead yet. We'll come back, and we'll play the Dolphins next, right? That's who we got in 10 days. This weekend is going to feel really good. I'm happy our players can rest and recover after getting a victory. Merry Christmas, guys."
Those planning the funeral might have been prepping the coffin at halftime as the Titans put up 55 yards of offense, their worst of any half this season, and trailed 10-0.
Then, A.J. Brown came to life, snagging six of his 11 catches for 121 yards and a TD as the Titans scored 17 straight points to flip the script. After missing three games with a chest injury, the big-bodied monster proved he was the panacea to cure what ailed Tennessee.
The comeback win boosted the Titans to 10-5 and, at least temporarily, pushed them to the AFC's No. 2 seed ahead of the weekend's games. Tennessee put a stranglehold on the AFC South, needing an Indianapolis Colts loss on Christmas Day to Arizona to clinch the division.
After injuries caused a month of struggles, the Titans are back on track to close the season as we sprint toward the playoffs.
"We need to start stacking (wins)," quarterback Ryan Tannehill. "I was a good win. It was a good, tough physical battle, which we knew it was going to be coming in. We found a way to win, which is exactly what we believe we are going to do.
"Now we just need to be able to keep stacking those wins."
