NFL playoffs , 2002 - 03 The 2002 - 03 NFL playoffs followed the 2002 NFL season and concluded with Super Bowl XXXVII . Prior to the 2002 - 03 season , the league realigned its teams into eight divisions ( four in each conference ) . Thus , the 12 - team playoff format was modified . The league still abides by this updated system today : As a result , a wild card team can no longer host a playoff game during the opening Wild Card round . Prior to the 2002 - 03 playoffs , a team could finish second in its division and host a playoff game by claiming the # 4 seed as a wild card team . The new rules meant that the # 4 seed would be rewarded to a division champion and not a wild card team ( non - division champion ) . Under the new system , a wild card team can host a playoff game only if the # 5 and # 6 seeds in one conference advance to a Conference Championship Game , in which case a # 5 seed would host the game . During the 2001 - 02 postseason , the NFL experimented with playing Saturday prime time playoff games . The league was pleased with the results , and decided to revise its entire playoff schedule beginning with the 2002 season . Wild Card and Divisional Saturday games continued to be played at 4 : 30 p . m . and 8 p . m . EST , as they had in the previous season . Sunday wild card and divisional playoff games were moved from 12 : 30 p . m . and 4 : 00 p . m . EST to 1 : 00 p . m . and 4 : 30 p . m . , respectively . The start times for the Conference Championship Games were also changed , from 12 : 30 p . m . and 4 : 00 p . m . EST to 3 : 00 p . m . and 6 : 30 p . m . respectively . The conferences would then begin to annually alternate between the early and late games , with the first game during this 2002 - 03 season being the NFC title game and the second the AFC title game . Since then , the NFC title game is first in even - numbered seasons ( 2002 , 2004 , etc . ) and the AFC title game first in odd - numbered seasons ( 2003 , 2005 , etc . ) . This change would also avoid the future possibility of having to reschedule a 9 : 30 a . m . PST / 10 : 30 a . m . MST Conference Championship Game if both contests took place in those time zones . Conference Championship Games in those time zones now start no earlier than 12 : 00 p . m . local time . When Denver and San Francisco hosted the AFC and NFC championship games in 1990 , the league moved both contests back an hour , but it also forced the networks to reluctantly change or move their prime time lineups . Holding the games on separate days like in 1982 - 83 was rejected due to the short notice . Wild Card playoffs . Saturday January 4 , 2003 . AFC : New York Jets 41 , Indianapolis Colts 0 . In his playoff debut , quarterback Chad Pennington completed 19 of 25 passes for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns as he led the Jets to a shutout victory over the Colts . Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was limited to 14 out of 31 ( 45 . 2 percent ) completions for 137 yards , with 2 interceptions . On New York ' s fifth play of the game , fullback Richie Anderson caught a screen pass from Pennington and took off down the left sideline for a 56 - yard touchdown , the longest play in Jets postseason history . Indianapolis responded by driving deep into Jets territory , with Manning completing three passes to Marvin Harrison for 38 yards , but the drive stalled and Mike Vanderjagt missed a 41 - yard field goal attempt . In the second quarter , Jets kicker John Hall kicked a 41 - yard field goal . Then Ray Mickens recovered a fumble from Troy Walters on the ensuing kickoff on the Colts 39 - yard line , setting up a 1 - yard touchdown run by Lamont Jordan . Later in the period , the Jets increased their lead to 24 - 0 with Pennington ' s 4 - yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss , who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone with 37 seconds left in the half . Early in the third quarter , Hall kicked another field goal on the end of a drive that was set up by a 70 - yard kickoff return from receiver Chad Morton . Later on , Pennington threw his third touchdown pass , a 3 - yard toss to rookie tight end Chris Baker , and Jordan , who finished the game with 102 rushing yards , closed out the scoring with his second 1 - yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter . This was the Jets final playoff home game at Giants Stadium as well as the final playoff win for both the Giants and the Jets at the stadium . NFC : Atlanta Falcons 27 , Green Bay Packers 7 . The Packers suffered their first home playoff loss as the Falcons forced five turnovers and limited Green Bay to only one touchdown . 22 - year - old quarterback Michael Vick passed for 117 yards and rushed for 64 yards . The Packers , playing without Pro Bowl running back Ahman Green , Pro Bowl defensive back Darren Sharper , and their top receiver Terry Glenn , due to injuries , fell down 24 - 0 in the first half and could not recover . Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre threw two interceptions and lost a fumble , while Ryan Longwell missed two field goals . The Falcons stormed out to a 7 - 0 lead by driving 76 yards on the opening drive and scoring with Vick ' s 10 - yard touchdown pass to Shawn Jefferson . Then on the Packers next drive , Atlanta linebacker Mark Simoneau blocked Josh Bidwell ' s punt and Artie Ulmer recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown to increase their lead to 14 - 0 . Later on , defensive back Tyrone Williams , a blocker on Green Bay ' s punt return team ran into returner Eric Metcalf . As a result , Metcalf muffed the kick and Atlanta fullback George Layne recovered the ball on Green Bay ' s 21 - yard line . Packers coach Mike Sherman did not challenge the call , a mistake considering replays showed the punted ball bouncing off a Falcons player ' s left shoulder . Sherman said he spoke with an official on the field , " but he [ mistakenly ] led me to believe it would not be reviewable . " . Four plays after the turnover , T . J . Duckett ' s 6 - yard touchdown run increased Atlanta ' s lead to 21 - 0 . Green Bay responded by driving to a first and goal situation inside the Falcons 5 - yard line , but on fourth down , Green was dropped for a 4 - yard loss by nose tackle Ellis Johnson . Then Vick led the Falcons 90 yards in 16 plays , and kicker Jay Feely finished the drive with a 22 - yard field goal on the last play of the half . Favre threw a 14 - yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver at the end of the Packers opening second half drive , but Driver was knocked out of the game on the play , and the Packers could not score again . Sunday January 5 , 2003 . AFC : Pittsburgh Steelers 36 , Cleveland Browns 33 . An amazing performance from Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb , one of the most inexperienced quarterbacks ever to play in a postseason game , was overshadowed by journeyman quarterback Tommy Maddox , who led the Steelers to 29 second half points to overcome a 17 - point deficit . A 3 - yard touchdown run by Chris Fuamatu - Ma ' afala with 54 seconds left capped the game - winning 58 - yard drive . On the third play of the game , Holcomb completed an 83 - yard pass to Kevin Johnson at the Steelers 1 - yard line , setting up William Green ' s 1 - yard touchdown run and giving the Browns a 7 - 0 lead after just 1 : 16 had elapsed in the game . In the second quarter , the Steelers turned the ball over three times in a span of 5 and 1 / 2 minutes : two interceptions by Browns defensive back Daylon McCutcheon and a fumbled punt by returner Antwaan Randle El that Cleveland converted into a 32 - yard touchdown completion from Holcomb to receiver Dennis Northcutt . Randle El later made up for his mistake by returning a punt 66 yards for a touchdown , but the Browns responded with Phil Dawson ' s 31 - yard field goal on their next drive , giving them a 17 - 7 halftime lead . Early in the third quarter , Holcomb ' s 15 - yard touchdown pass to Northcut increased the Browns lead to 24 - 7 . Later in the quarter , Maddox led the Steelers 66 yards , featuring a 24 - yard completion by Randle El , and finished the drive with a 6 - yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress , cutting his team ' s deficit to 10 points with 3 : 50 left in the period . Then after another Dawson field goal , Maddox completed three passes to Randle El for gains of 20 , 30 , and 6 yards before finding tight end Jerame Tuman with a 3 - yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter . But the Browns stormed back and scored with Holcomb ' s 22 - yard touchdown pass to Andre Davis , giving them a 33 - 21 lead after the 2 - point conversion failed . With 3 : 06 left in the game , Maddox finished off a 77 - yard drive with a 5 - yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward , cutting the score to 33 - 28 . The Browns tried to run out the clock on their ensuing possession , but Northcutt dropped a potential first down catch on third down and 12 , forcing his team to punt . Taking over at their own 42 - yard line , Maddox threw to Burress for 24 yards , Ward for 10 , Buress again for 17 , and Ward again for 7 before Fuamatu - Ma ' afala finished the drive with a 3 - yard touchdown run . Then Tuman scored the two point conversion to give the Steelers a 36 - 33 lead . The Browns attempted to drive for the tying field goal , but time expired in the game on Holcomb ' s 16 - yard completion to Andre King at the Steelers 29 - yard line . Maddox finished the game with 30 of 48 completions for a franchise postseason record 367 yards and 3 touchdowns , with 2 interceptions . Burress caught 6 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown , while Ward caught 11 passes for 104 yards and a score . Randle El caught 5 passes for 85 yards and returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown . In his first career playoff game , Kelly Holcomb completed 26 of 43 passes for 429 yards and 3 touchdowns , with 1 interception . Kevin Johnson caught 4 passes for 140 yards , while Northcutt caught 6 passes for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns . NFC : San Francisco 49ers 39 , New York Giants 38 . The Steelers ' comeback earlier in the day was matched by San Francisco ' s similar late drive , overcoming a 38 - 14 deficit by scoring 25 unanswered points in the second half . In the first quarter , 49ers linebacker Julian Peterson intercepted a pass from Kerry Collins at the San Francisco 24 - yard line after it bounced off the hands of running back Ron Dayne . On the next play , 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia threw a moderate pass to Terrell Owens , who broke two tackles and took it 76 yards to the end zone . New York responded with an 11 - play , 65 yard drive , that ended with Collins ' 12 - yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer , tying the game at 7 . In the second quarter , the Giants stormed 61 yards in five plays , featuring a 29 - yard run by Tiki Barber . After that , Collins completed a 27 - yard pass to tight end Jeremy Shockey , and capped off the drive with a 2 - yard touchdown pass to him one play later . But the 49ers responded with an unconventional 69 - yard drive that featured two runs by Garcia for over 10 yards and a 25 - yard completion from Owens to receiver Tai Streets on a reverse - pass play . Running back Kevan Barlow completed the drive with a 1 - yard touchdown run to tie the game . However , two key 49ers turnovers allowed the Giants to go into their locker room at halftime with a 28 - 14 lead . First , the Giants were forced to punt on their ensuing possession , but returner Cedrick Wilson muffed the kick and New York ' s Johnnie Harris recovered the ball on the 49ers 8 - yard line . Collins then threw an 8 - yard touchdown pass to Toomer on the next play . After the ensuing kickoff , defensive back Jason Sehorn picked off a pass from Garcia at New York ' s 44 - yard line . Two plays later on third down and 8 , Collins completed a 30 - yard pass to Barber , and followed it up with a 24 - yard touchdown completion to Toomer with just 10 seconds left in the half . The Giants continued to build their lead in the second half . Five minutes into the third quarter , San Francisco turned the ball over on downs at the Giants 46 - yard line , but the stop came at a cost for the Giants , as defensive end Kenny Holmes suffered a game - ending injury while making the tackle on fourth down . New York subsequently moved the ball 54 yards in six plays . Barber rushed for 37 yards on the drive and finished it with a 6 - yard touchdown run , increasing the Giants lead to 35 - 14 . Later in the quarter , Collins ' 46 - yard completion to Toomer set up a 21 - yard field goal from kicker Matt Bryant , making the score 38 - 14 with 4 : 27 left in the third period . However , the field goal came after Shockey dropped a potential touchdown catch in the end zone . San Francisco stormed back , driving 70 yards in 7 plays on a drive that consumed only 2 : 24 and ended with Garcia ' s 26 - yard touchdown pass to Owens . Owens added a 2 - point conversion catch on the next play , cutting the 49ers deficit to 38 - 22 . After the play , an iconic scene of defensive lineman Michael Strahan walking over to Owens and pointing to the scoreboard to remind him of the deficit they still faced would be a highlight of the game . New York was forced to punt after three plays on their next drive . Matt Allen ' s short kick and a 15 - yard personal foul against Dhani Jones for hitting the returner after a fair catch gave San Francisco the ball on the Giants 27 - yard line . Two plays later , Garcia scored on a 14 - yard touchdown run , and then completed another two point conversion pass to Owens , cutting the score to 38 - 30 five seconds into the fourth quarter . After forcing New York to punt once again , the 49ers drove 74 yards in 15 plays , including a 3 - yard reception by Streets on fourth down and 1 , and scored with a 25 - yard field goal by Jeff Chandler . The Giants responded with a drive to the San Francisco 20 - yard line , but with 3 : 01 left in the game , a poor snap from 41 - year old Trey Junkin , who had been signed back out of retirement less than a week before the game , threw off the timing on Bryant ' s 42 - yard field goal attempt and it went wide left . Garcia then took over , converting two third downs , one of them a 25 - yard completion to tight end Eric Johnson , and rushing for 12 yards on the way to a 13 - yard touchdown pass to Streets . This time , the two point conversion failed when Will Allen intercepted Garcia ' s pass intended for Owens , but the 49ers took the lead , 39 - 38 , with 1 minute left in regulation . The touchdown and 2 - point conversion plays resulted in offsetting personal fouls on both teams after they ended . After the touchdown , Owens was flagged for taunting safety Shaun Williams , while Williams was flagged shoving him to the ground in response . Then after the two point conversion , Owens was penalized for a late hit on Allen , which started a brawl between both teams . During the altercation , Williams was penalized and ejected from the game for throwing a punch at 49ers center Jeremy Newberry . However , the Giants did have a chance to win . Delvin Joyce returned Chandler ' s short kickoff 32 yards to the 47 - yard line . Collins then led them to the 49ers 23 - yard line with 6 seconds left . But Junkin botched a snap for a 41 - yard field goal attempt , resulting in a feeble pass play that fell incomplete . The Giants were also called for having an illegal man downfield on the play , and the game ended . The following day , it was revealed that the penalized player ( guard Rich Seubert ) had in fact checked in as an eligible receiver before the field goal attempt , although a different Giant lineman actually " was " illegally downfield . NFL Vice President of officiating Mike Pereira admitted pass interference also should have been called on 49ers defensive end Chike Okeafor for pulling down Seubert . Had the two right calls been made , the down would have been replayed at the previous spot , the San Francisco 23 . Garcia threw for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception , while also leading the 49ers on the ground with 60 rushing yards and another score . Owens caught 9 passes for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns . He also scored two 2 - point conversions and completed a 25 - yard pass . Collins threw for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception . Toomer caught 8 passes for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns . Barber rushed for 115 yards , caught 5 passes for 62 yards , and scored a touchdown . This was featured on the NFL ' s Greatest Games as One Wild Finish . It was also listed as # 6 in the top 10 controversial calls by NFL Network Divisional playoffs . Saturday January 11 , 2003 . AFC : Tennessee Titans 34 , Pittsburgh Steelers 31 ( OT ) . The third time was the charm for Titans kicker Joe Nedney . After missing the potential game - winning field goal at the end of regulation time , and a second failed kick in overtime was negated because of a controversial running - into - the - kicker penalty on Pittsburgh ' s Dewayne Washington , Nedney won the game from 26 yards out 2 : 15 into overtime . Steelers coach Bill Cowher was incensed , saying he called a timeout before the winning kick took place . Earlier in the game , the Titans jumped to an early 14 - 0 lead with touchdowns from Eddie George and Steve McNair before the Steelers converted three turnovers into 20 points . Two of the turnovers were fumbles by George , who had not fumbled all season , and his second one was converted into a 31 - yard touchdown run by Amos Zereoue . But Tennessee stormed right back , going into a no - huddle offense and scoring twice in a span of five minutes with McNair ' s touchdown passes to tight ends Frank Wycheck and Erron Kinney , giving them a 28 - 20 lead going into the fourth quarter . In the final period , a 21 - yard Hines Ward touchdown reception and subsequent two - point conversion tied the game at 28 . The teams traded field goals late in the final period to send the game into overtime , following a missed 48 - yard field goal by Nedney on the last play in regulation . In the first overtime period , referee Ron Blum announced that each team had three timeouts . This caused some confusion because , compared with the regular season , overtime in the postseason utilizes slightly different rules . The Titans took the opening kickoff and drove inside the Steelers 20 - yard line . They sent out Nedney to win the game , setting up a wild finish . Nedney ' s first kick was good , but it was negated because the Steelers had called timeout . The fireworks operator at the stadium inadvertantly set off the fireworks , delaying the game for several minutes . After the fireworks had fizzled , Nedney attempted to win the game again . His kick was wide right , but Washington was penalized for running into Nedney . After the five - yard penalty was assessed , Nedney was given a third try . This time he converted the kick , winning the game . Wycheck finished the game with 10 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown . McNair threw for a career postseason high 338 yards and 2 touchdowns , with 2 interceptions , while rushing for 29 yards and another score on the ground . NFC : Philadelphia Eagles 20 , Atlanta Falcons 6 . The hyped quarterback duel between Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick never materialized , as the Eagles ' defense sacked Vick three times and intercepted him twice , including Bobby Taylor ' s 39 - yard return for a touchdown . With the Eagles leading 13 - 0 in the second quarter , Vick tried to rally his team back . First he led them 61 yards in 13 plays to score on a Jay Feely field goal with 4 : 10 left in the half . Then after forcing a punt , Vick ran for 20 yards and completed a 16 - yard pass to Brian Finneran to set up a 52 - yard field goal from Feely , making the score 13 - 6 by halftime . But in the third quarter , a 20 - yard touchdown run by Vick that could have tied the game was called back by a holding penalty on Travis Claridge , and Feely missed a 37 - yard field goal a few plays later . The Eagles then put the game away in the fourth quarter with McNabb ' s 35 - yard touchdown pass to James Thrash with 6 : 26 left in regulation . McNabb finished with 20 of 30 completions for 247 yards and a touchdown , along with 24 rushing yards . This would be the last ever win for the Eagles at the Vet . Sunday January 12 , 2003 . NFC : Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31 , San Francisco 49ers 6 . The Buccaneers , with the league ' s top ranked defense during the 2002 regular season , forced five turnovers , sacked quarterback Jeff Garcia four times , and limited the 49ers to only two field goals . Tampa Bay quarterback Brad Johnson , who had been sidelined for a month , returned to throw for 196 yards and two touchdowns . Fullback Mike Alstott scored two touchdowns , while the Buccaneers held onto the ball for 36 : 46 and held the 49ers to a season low 228 yards . This was San Francisco ' s first playoff game without a touchdown since 1986 . Despite San Francisco ' s 10 - 6 record and their wildcard playoff win against New York , coach Steve Mariucci was fired three days after this game . The 49ers would not return to the playoffs until 2011 . AFC : Oakland Raiders 30 , New York Jets 10 . Chad Pennington ' s dream season came to an end as the Jets quarterback threw two interceptions , lost two fumbles , and was sacked four times ( twice by Rod Coleman ) . Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns as Oakland pulled away from a 10 - 10 halftime tie by forcing four consecutive turnovers and scoring twenty consecutive second half points . Aided by a 15 - yard run from Curtis Martin and a 20 - yard pass interference penalty on Charles Woodson , John Hall ' s 38 - yard field goal gave the Jets an early 3 - 0 lead before he was matched by a 29 - yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski to tie the game . On the Jets next drive , Oakland lineman Travian Smith forced and recovered a fumble from Pennington on New York ' s 27 - yard line . On the next play , running back Charlie Garner fumbled the ball , but Oakland guard Frank Middleton recovered it , and fullback Zack Crockett ended up scoring with a 1 - yard touchdown run a few plays later . But Pennington led the Jets back , completing 8 of 9 passes for 51 yards on an 81 - yard drive that took 7 minutes off the clock and ended with his 1 - yard touchdown pass to Jerald Sowell , tying the game with 22 seconds left in the first half . Early in the third quarter , Raiders defensive back Tory James intercepted a pass from Pennington on the Jets 45 - yard line . Gannon then went downfield , hitting Tim Brown with a 16 - yard completion and then throwing a 29 - yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice . New York turned the ball over on downs with their next possession , and Gannon once again went to work , completing a 50 - yard strike to Jerry Porter and finishing the drive with a 9 - yard touchdown pass to Rice , increasing the Raiders lead to 24 - 10 . The Jets turned the ball over again when Richie Anderson fumbled a handoff on their ensuing drive . New York defensive back Damien Robinson intercepted a pass from Gannon on the next play , but Oakland ' s Eric Barton returned the favor with an interception of his own , setting up a 34 - yard Janikowski field goal . Janikowski later added another field goal with less than five minutes left in the game . Conference championships . Sunday January 19 , 2003 . NFC Championship : Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 , Philadelphia Eagles 10 . A game that is now known as Black Sunday in Philadelphia ' s sports lore , Tampa Bay won on the road for the first time in playoff history , and in temperatures below 32°F ( 0°C ) , in the last football game played at Veterans Stadium . The Eagles were heavy favorites at home going into the game . The Eagles had beaten the Buccaneers four consecutive times , in the wild card round the two previous seasons , and also during regular - season games in 2001 and 2002 . During the two playoff losses , both at Veterans Stadium , Tampa Bay had failed to score a single touchdown . Eagles running back Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 70 yards , setting up a 20 - yard touchdown run by Duce Staley less than a minute into the game . Tampa Bay responded with Martin Gramatica ' s 48 - yard field goal on their ensuing drive . At the end of Philadelphia ' s next possession , Lee Johnson ' s punt pinned the Buccaneers back at their own 4 - yard line . But Tampa Bay stormed 96 yards and scored with Mike Alstott ' s 1 - yard touchdown run to take the lead . The key play on the drive was a 71 - yard completion from Brad Johnson to Joe Jurevicius on third down and two from their own 24 - yard line . David Akers tied the score , 10 - 10 , with a 30 - yard field goal midway through the second quarter , but the Bucs responded with an 80 - yard , 12 - play drive that ended with a 9 - yard touchdown pass from Brad Johnson to Keyshawn Johnson . With time running out in the half , Donovan McNabb led the Eagles to the Tampa Bay 24 - yard line , only to lose a fumble while being sacked by his high school teammate Simeon Rice , who stripped the ball away and recovered it himself . On the Eagles ' first drive of the third quarter , McNabb lost another fumble due to a tackle from defensive back Ronde Barber , and Bucs lineman Ellis Wyms recovered it . Later on , with 1 : 02 left in the third period , Gramatica ' s 27 - yard field goal increased the Tampa Bay lead to 20 - 10 . In the fourth quarter , the Eagles managed to drive 73 yards to Tampa Bay ' s 10 - yard line , but Barber intercepted McNabb ' s pass with 3 : 12 left in the game and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory . This was the last Eagles game ever played at Veterans Stadium which was demolished following the 2003 Major League Baseball season . In a Sports Illustrated list of the worst losses in Philadelphia sports history since the in 1983 , this game was ranked first . AFC Championship : Oakland Raiders 41 , Tennessee Titans 24 . Oakland called only one running play in the first three quarters of the game , choosing to rely almost exclusively on the passing of 37 - year old quarterback Rich Gannon . And Gannon proved to be up to the task , leading the Raiders to victory with 286 passing yards and three touchdowns , along with 41 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries . Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter scored first four minutes into the game , but the Titans countered with a 33 - yard touchdown pass from Steve McNair to Drew Bennett to tie it up five minutes later . Oakland struck back with 12 - yard touchdown catch by Charlie Garner before a 29 - yard field goal from Joe Nedney and a McNair touchdown run gave the Titans a three point lead late in the second quarter . Then things fell apart for Tennessee . Backed up at their own 11 - yard line by a Shane Lechler punt and simply trying to run out the clock , running back Robert Holcombe fumbled the ball while being tackled by Raiders linebacker Eric Barton , and defensive back Anthony Dorsett , who was a member of the Titans 1999 Super Bowl squad , recovered the ball at the Tennessee 16 - yard line . On the next play , Jerry Rice caught a 15 - yard reception at the 1 - yard line , and then Gannon found Doug Jolley in the back of the end zone for a 1 - yard touchdown pass , giving the Raiders a 21 - 17 lead . Then on the ensuing kickoff , rookie returner John Simon was stripped of the ball by Tim Johnson and Alvis Whitted recovered the fumble for Oakland on the Titans 39 - yard line , setting up a 43 - yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski on the last play of the first half . Tennessee took the second half kickoff and drove all the way to the Raiders 22 - yard line before McNair was sacked on third down by John Parrella . Because Nedney had been injured making a tackle in the second quarter , Titans coach Jeff Fisher decided to punt rather than attempt a field goal , but due to a bad snap , punter Craig Hentrich was unable to make the kick and was downed at the Titans 19 - yard line . A few plays later , Janikowski kicked another field goal to make the score 27 - 17 . This time , the Titans managed to resond , driving 67 yards and scoring with McNair ' s 13 - yard touchdown run to cut the score to 27 - 24 . But the Raiders responded with a 66 - yard drive , capped off with a 2 - yard touchdown run by Gannon in the fourth quarter . Fullback Zack Crockett later added a 7 - yard touchdown run to put the game away .