2002 Tennessee Titans season The 2002 Tennessee Titans season was the 43rd season the team was with the league . The team improved upon their previous season ' s output of 7 – 9 , managing eleven victories . The Titans qualified for the playoffs , but were unable to reach the Super Bowl , instead losing to the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Conference Championship . For the third time in their history the Titans opened a football season in a different football division , this time in the debut Sunday of the AFC South after their AFL era in the league ' s Eastern division and then spending 32 seasons in the AFC Central . The Eagles , defending NFC East champs , gave up a 14 - yard Steve McNair touchdown to Eddie George , but then behind three Donovan McNabb touchdown throws they raced to a 24 – 10 halftime lead . The Titans then shut down the Eagles offense as McNair and George helped score 17 unanswered Titans points , finishing up a 27 – 24 Titans win . For only the second time since leaving Houston , the former Houston Oilers flew to Texas for football . The Cowboys were hosting the ex - Oilers a week after losing to Houston ' s present - day NFL squad , but fell behind 10 – 7 at the half . The game turned against the Titans in the third quarter as Dexter Coakley picked off McNair and ran back 52 yards for a touchdown ; McNair later knocked himself out of the game when he ran to the sidelines and crashed into an equipment storage wagon , suffering a concussion . Quincy Carter connected with Joey Galloway from 38 yards out and wrapped up a 21 – 13 Cowboys win . This game marked the first time the Titans played against a former division foe from the old AFC Central , the Cleveland Browns . Tim Couch opened up the scoring on a 14 - yard throw to Andre Davis in the first quarter . Eddie George and McNair answered with a pair of touchdowns , then Andre Dyson picked off Couch and ran the ball back 16 yards for a 21 – 7 halftime lead . Dennis Northcutt ran back a punt 74 yards for a Cleveland score in the third quarter , and in the fourth a McNair score to Kevin Dyson was answered by two Couch touchdowns , forcing overtime , and Phil Dawson finished it off from 33 yards out and a 31 – 28 Browns win . The 0 – 6 Bengals blew a chance to win late amid a 30 – 24 Titans lead when , at the Titans goal line , Corey Dillon tripped over Matt O ' Dwyer and fell a yard short of a touchdown . The gaffe wiped out a 138 - yard day by Dillon and the now - 3 - 4 Titans had gathered momentum to finish out the season . The Titans made their first trip to Indianapolis since winning in the 1999 playoffs and raced to a 23 – 0 lead . The Colts fumbled in the second quarter and Keith Bulluck ran back a 61 - yard touchdown . Steve McNair threw only 19 times with 14 completions for 92 yards and one touchdown , while Peyton Manning had to throw for 327 yards for two fourth - quarter touchdowns . Still , he was unable to lead a comeback , and the Titans won by a final score of 23 - 15 . Present Titans quarterback Steve McNair played despite missing practice due to injuries incurred throughout the season , and matched up against the man who would eventually captain the Titans under center , Kerry Collins . The 6 – 5 Giants took a 10 – 7 lead after a Collins score to Dan Campbell , while McNair grabbed the Titans a 14 – 10 halftime lead on two touchdown throws . A second Collins touchdown ( to Ron Dixon ) was followed by an exchange of field goals , a missed Joe Nedney FG try , a Tiki Barber rushing score marred by a missed two - point try , and McNair touchdown throw to Frank Wycheck and McNair two - point run with seven seconds left in regulation . In overtime the Titans clawed downfield and Nedney finished it off after five minutes on a 38 - yard field goal and a 32 – 29 Titans win . The former Oilers returned to Houston for the first time since 1996 , and a game of field goals ended in a four - yard Eddie George touchdown run , his first in Houston since a six - yard touchdown against Jacksonville in December 1996 at the Astrodome . The win wrapped up Tennessee ' s first division title in two years and first in the AFC South .