2008 Tennessee Titans season The 2008 Tennessee Titans season was the 49th season for the team in the National Football League , their twelfth in Tennessee , and their tenth as the Titans . Despite being expected by most sportswriters to finish third or even fourth in the AFC South , they compiled a 13 – 3 regular season record and won home - field advantage for the duration of the playoffs . However , the Titans lost four of their last seven and were eliminated by the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round . Regular season results . Week 1 : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . The Titans pulled off an important divisional win behind the strong running of rookie RB Chris Johnson , who rushed for 93 yards in his NFL debut , and the arm of backup quarterback Kerry Collins , who replaced starter Vince Young when he went down late in the 4th quarter . Young had been inconsistent , throwing 1 TD pass to Johnson and 2 INTs . However , Collins moved the ball down field effectively and that drive led to the eventual game winning touchdown run by LenDale White . Jacksonville trailed for much of the game and couldn ' t run the ball against a locked in Titans defense , who sacked Jaguars quarterback David Garrard 7 times . Both teams ' defenses played well but the Titans held on . This game was also significant because the Jaguars , Texans , and Colts ( in their debut at Lucas Oil Stadium ) lost , so the Titans grabbed first place in the AFC South for the first week of the season , ending a 56 week streak of holding 1st place in the division by the Colts . Week 2 : at Cincinnati Bengals . The Titans stayed in 1st place thanks to the extremely strong wind from the remnants of Hurricane Ike ( which interfered with an important field goal attempt by Shayne Graham ) and a sloppy Cincinnati offense in a 24 – 7 rout . Chris Johnson ran for over 100 yards for the first time in his career and Kerry Collins had a good day filling in for the injured Vince Young . The Titans first scored on a 1 - yd TD run by LenDale White after a scoreless 1st quarter and then Cincinnati scored its only touchdown with a Chris Perry 13 - yd TD run on 4th down . The Titans , with a little over a minute left , drove the ball downfield and took a 14 – 7 lead at the half thanks to an 11 - yd TD reception by Justin Gage . The knockout punch was delivered early in the 4th quarter with the Titans leading 17 – 7 . Keith Bulluck recovered a blocked punt in the endzone to finish off the Bengals and keep the Titans perfect . The win also gave the Titans their first 2 – 0 start for the first time since 1999 . Week 3 : vs . Houston Texans . Coming off their road win over the Bengals , the Titans went home for a Week 3 duel with the Houston Texans . In the first quarter , Tennessee trailed early as Houston Texans kicker Kris Brown got a 44 - yard field goal . The Titans responded with RB LenDale White getting a 2 - yard TD run . Houston drew close as Brown kicked a 24 - yard field goal , yet Tennessee answered with QB Kerry Collins completing a 9 - yard TD pass to TE Bo Scaife . The Texans replied with RB Steve Slaton getting a 6 - yard TD run ( with a failed PAT ) , while the Titans closed out the half with White ' s 1 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , Tennessee increased its lead with kicker Rob Bironas nailing a 44 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Titans closed out the game with CB Cortland Finnegan returning an interception 99 yards for a touchdown . With the win , Tennessee acquired its first 3 – 0 start since their Super Bowl run of 1999 . Week 4 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . Coming off their home win over the Texans , the Titans stayed at home for a Week 4 interconference duel with the Minnesota Vikings . In the first quarter , Tennessee drew first blood as kicker Rob Bironas got a 20 - yard field goal , along with rookie RB Chris Johnson getting a 1 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Vikings responded with RB Adrian Peterson getting a 28 - yard TD run . Afterwards , the Titans answered with Bironas kicking a 32 - yard field goal , along with RB LenDale White getting a 1 - yard TD run . Minnesota closed out the half with kicker Ryan Longwell getting a 42 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Tennessee increased its lead with Bironas nailing a 49 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Vikings tried to rally as Peterson got a 3 - yard TD run , yet the Titans pulled away with Johnson getting a 6 - yard TD run . With the win , Tennessee acquired its first 4 – 0 start in franchise history . Week 5 : at Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their home win over the Texans , the Titans flew to M & T Bank Stadium for a Week 5 defensive duel with the Baltimore Ravens . In the first quarter , Tennessee trailed early as Ravens kicker Matt Stover got a 38 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Titans tied the game with kicker Rob Bironas getting a 35 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Baltimore took the lead as RB Le ' Ron McClain got a 1 - yard TD run . Fortunately , in the fourth quarter , Tennessee rallied with Bironas nailing a 26 - yard field goal , along with QB Kerry Collins completing an 11 - yard TD pass to TE Alge Crumpler . With the win , the Titans kept their perfect season alive as they entered their bye week at 5 – 0 . During the bye week , the Titans became the only undefeated team in the NFL with the Giants ' loss to the Browns in Week 6 . Week 7 : at Kansas City Chiefs . Coming off their bye week , the Titans flew to Arrowhead Stadium for a Week 7 duel with the Kansas City Chiefs . In the first quarter , Tennessee drew first blood as kicker Rob Bironas got a 49 - yard field goal , along with RB LenDale White getting a 6 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Titans increased their lead as White got a 2 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , Tennessee continued its victory march as Bironas got a 46 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Titans ripped it up as White got an 80 - yard TD run . The Chiefs would get on the board as kicker Nick Novak nailed a 26 - yard field goal , yet Tennessee replied with rookie RB Chris Johnson getting a 66 - yard TD run . Kansas City ended the game ' s scoring with QB Tyler Thigpen getting a 14 - yard TD run . With the win , the Titans stayed perfect at 6 – 0 . In the game , Tennessee ' s overall ground game reached a franchise - best 332 yards . Week 8 : vs . Indianapolis Colts . On Monday Night Football , the Titans responded to the doubters and defeated the Colts for only the fourth time since formation of the AFC South ; the final score was 31 – 21 and came after Indianapolis had been heavily favored to win . Rob Bironas got it started with a field goal but then Peyton Manning found Dallas Clark for a touchdown on the next drive . Bironas pulled the Titans to within one with another field goal , but missed one before the half to keep the Titans behind going into halftime . Manning found Clark once again the 3rd quarter for a 14 – 6 lead but that would be the last time they would lead as LenDale White scored and Ahmard Hall caught a two point conversion from Kerry Collins . Bironas hit another field goal to give the Titans the lead for good . Two key interceptions by the Titans put the Colts away as White scored again and rookie Chris Johnson added his fourth rushing touchdown late . Manning would score a rushing touchdown in the final minute but it was too little too late . With the win , the Titans picked up their first 7 – 0 start in the franchise ' s overall history . During halftime , former Titans Steve McNair , Eddie George , and Frank Wycheck were honored . Week 9 : vs . Green Bay Packers . The Titans kept their record perfect by edging the Packers 19 – 16 in OT . Rob Bironas and Mason Crosby each traded field goals early in the first half and the Titans had a 6 – 3 edge until Aaron Rodgers hooked up with Donald Driver for a touchdown . Then LenDale White helped drive the ball downfield with 50 yard run that set up Chris Johnson ' s TD run to make it 13 – 10 . In the 2nd half , the Packers were able to tie the game with two more Crosby field goals and force it into overtime when Bironas missed a potential game - winning field goal at the end of regulation . In overtime , Kerry Collins and Johnson helped move the ball down the field for a game - winning 47 yard field goal by Bironas , who made up for his mistake at the end of the 4th . With the win , the Titans ran their regular season winning streak to 11 games , continued their hottest start in franchise history , and remained the only unbeaten team in the league as they improved to 8 - 0 . Week 10 : at Chicago Bears . Coming off their home win over the Packers , the Titans flew to Soldier Field for a Week 10 interconference duel with the Chicago Bears . In the first quarter , Tennessee trailed early as Bears QB Rex Grossman completed a 5 - yard touchdown pass to RB Matt Forté . In the second quarter , the Titans answered with QB Kerry Collins completing a 10 - yard TD pass to TE Bo Scaife . In the third quarter , Tennessee took the lead as Collins completed a 12 - yard TD pass to WR Justin Gage ( a former Bear ) . In the fourth quarter , the Titans increased their lead as RB LenDale White got a 2 - yard touchdown run . Chicago tried to rally as Grossman got a 1 - yard touchdown run , yet Tennessee ' s defense stiffened for the win . With the win , the Titans kept their perfect season alive at 9 – 0 . Week 11 : at Jacksonville Jaguars . Coming off two wins in a row over NFC North Division teams , the Titans continued their road tour to Florida for a Week 11 AFC South rematch with the Jacksonville Jaguars . In the first quarter , Tennessee drew first blood as kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 32 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Jaguars took the lead as RB Maurice Jones - Drew got a 2 - yard and a 1 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , the Titans regained the lead as QB Kerry Collins completed a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Jones and a 56 - yard TD pass to WR Justin Gage . In the fourth quarter , Tennessee closed out the game as Collins hooked up with Gage again on a 38 - yard TD pass . With the win , the Titans kept their dream season alive , improving to a perfect record of 10 – 0 . Week 12 : vs . New York Jets . Coming off their season - sweeping road win over the Jaguars , the Titans went home for a Week 12 duel with the New York Jets . In the first quarter , Tennessee trailed early as Jets QB Brett Favre completed a 10 - yard TD pass to RB Thomas Jones . In the second quarter , New York increased its lead with kicker Jay Feely getting a 20 - yard field goal . The Titans closed out the half with kicker Rob Bironas getting a 43 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Jets responded as Feely kicked a 30 - yard field goal , while Favre completed a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Laveranues Coles . In the fourth quarter , Tennessee tried to rally as Rob Bironas nailed a 49 - yard field goal , but New York replied with RB Leon Washington getting a 61 - yard TD run . The Titans had one last attempt to keep their perfect season alive as QB Kerry Collins completed a 6 - yard TD pass to FB Ahmard Hall . However , Tennessee ' s perfect season went down the tubes as Washington helped seal things for the Jets on a 4 - yard TD run . With the loss , the Titans fell to 10 – 1 . Week 13 : at Detroit Lions . Hoping to rebound from their first loss of the season , the Titans flew to Ford Field for a Week 13 Thanksgiving battle with the winless Detroit Lions . In the first quarter , Tennessee drew first blood as rookie RB Chris Johnson got a 6 - yard TD run . The Lions would respond with kicker Jason Hanson getting a 53 - yard field goal . The Titans would answer with Johnson getting a 58 - yard TD run , along with DE Dave Ball returning an interception 15 yards for a touchdown . In the second quarter , Tennessee increased their lead with RB LenDale White getting a 6 - yard and a 2 - yard TD run . Detroit would reply with QB Daunte Culpepper completing a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Michael Gaines . In the third quarter , kicker Rob Bironas would kick field goals of 41 and 49 yards to put the Titans up by 31 , and in the fourth quarter , he would nail field goals of 45 and 43 yards to put the Titans up for good . With the win , Tennessee not only improved to 11 – 1 on the season , but the Titans were the only AFC South team to defeat all four NFC North teams in interconference play . Center Kevin Mawae , DT Albert Haynesworth , and Running Backs Johnson & White were given CBS ' s All - Iron Award for their performance . Week 14 : vs . Cleveland Browns . Coming off their Thanksgiving win over the Lions , the Titans came home to face the Cleveland Browns in a Week 14 duel . In the first quarter , Cleveland would jump on top early as Phil Dawson made 47 and 41 yard field goals . Tennessee , however , would answer with a 28 yard pass from Kerry Collins to Ahmard Hall . Then , later in the 2nd quarter , LenDale White found the end zone from 3 yards out to give them a 14 – 6 lead . In the 3rd quarter , Kerry Collins found Justin Gage for a 9 yard touchdown and the Titans found themselves in control , leading 21 – 9 heading into the 4th quarter . Cleveland attempted to make a comeback with Phil Dawson making a 39 yard field goal , but could not finish as Chris Johnson scored from 25 yards out and put the game away for the Titans . With the win , not only did Tennessee improve to 12 – 1 , but they also clinched their first AFC South title since 2002 . Week 15 : at Houston Texans . With the loss , the Titans fell to 12 - 2 and their winning streak against the Texans came to an end . Week 16 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Texans , the Titans went home for a crucial Week 16 battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers , with the AFC ' s top seed on the line . After a scoreless first quarter , the Titans got the second quarter lead as kicker Rob Bironas got a 42 - yard field goal , along with quarterback Kerry Collins completing a 34 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Gage . The Steelers would respond with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing a 31 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes . In the third quarter , Pittsburgh took the lead as Roethlisberger completed a 21 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward , yet Tennessee struck back with rookie running back Chris Johnson getting a 21 - yard touchdown run . The Titans would then pull away in the fourth quarter with running back LenDale White ' s 1 - yard touchdown run and safety Michael Griffin ' s 83 - yard interception return for a touchdown . This was the first game of the year where the league - leading Steelers defense allowed more than 300 yards of total offense ( allowing 332 yards ) . As the game drew to a close , several Titans , including LenDale White , began to unceremoniously mock the Terrible Towel , one of the main symbols of the Steeler Faithful , by stomping on it and blowing their noses in it . This outraged Steeler fans , even more so in the wake of losing the # 1 seed in the AFC . However , the Steelers would have the last laugh , eventually going on to beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII . The Titans would lose 8 straight games , stretching into the early half of the 2009 season . This would lead several people to declare that the Titans were suffering from the Curse of the Terrible Towel . The Titans only began winning when LenDale White and Keith Bulluck donated an autographed Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Public School System ( the proceeds of Terrible Towel sales are all donated to the Allegheny Public School System ) With the win , not only did Tennessee improve to 13 – 2 , but they also locked up the AFC ' s # 1 seed . Week 17 : at Indianapolis Colts . With the AFC ' s # 1 seed under their belt , the Titans flew to Lucas Oil Stadium to close out their regular season in a Week 17 AFC South rematch with the Indianapolis Colts . The Titans rested several of their starters for the game including Chris Johnson and benched Kerry Collins early . . Tennessee trailed early in the first quarter as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed a 55 - yard touchdown pass to running back Joseph Addai followed by kicker Adam Vinatieri ' s 28 - yard field goal . The Titans ' deficit would increase in the second quarter as Vinatieri nailed a 21 - yard and a 38 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , Indianapolis closed out the game in the fourth quarter as center Jamey Richard recovered a fumble within Tennessee ' s endzone for a touchdown . With the loss , the Titans ended the regular season at 13 – 3 . Playoffs . AFC Divisional Round : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Entering the postseason as the AFC ' s top seed , the Titans began their postseason run at home in the AFC Divisional round against the # 6 Baltimore Ravens , in a rematch of their Week 5 contest . Matt Stover kicked a 43 - yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining to send the Ravens into the AFC Championship Game at the expense of the Titans , as quarterback Joe Flacco became the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games in a single postseason . Tennessee turned the ball over three times , which proved to be the difference between the two teams , as Baltimore never gave the ball away . The Titans took the lead on their second drive of the game with Kerry Collins completing a 28 - yard pass to rookie running back Chris Johnson and a 20 - yarder to Justin Gage before Johnson finished the drive with an 8 - yard touchdown run . But the Ravens answered back with a 48 - yard touchdown Flacco pass to former Titan Derrick Mason . Early in the second quarter , Tennessee drove to the Ravens 25 - yard line , only to turn the ball over on downs due to a fumbled snap on a fourth down conversion attempt . Then after forcing a punt , their drive to the Ravens 32 - yard line also ended with no points when a pass from Collins was picked off by former Titan Samari Rolle . Following another punt , the Titans moved the ball into scoring range for the third time in a row , this time driving to the Baltimore 22 . But once again they came up empty after LenDale White ' s fumble was recovered by Ravens safety Jim Leonhard with 25 seconds left in the half . In the second half , a 29 - yard punt return by Leonard and a 37 - yard reception by Mark Clayton set up a Stover field goal to take a 10 – 7 lead . Meanwhile the Titans failed to score again , as Rob Bironas missed a 51 - yard field goal and after Stover ' s field goal , and Ravens cornerback Fabian Washington forced and recovered a fumble from tight end Alge Crumpler on Baltimore ' s 1 - yard line . However , the Ravens were unable to gain any yards with their ensuing drive and Tennessee got the ball back with great field position at the Ravens 42 - yard line . This time , they managed to drive to the 10 - yard line and score with a Bironas field goal to tie the game at 10 . Two plays after the ensuing kickoff , Baltimore faced 3rd down and 2 . On the next play , the play clock appeared to expire before the snap , but no penalty flag was thrown and Flacco ended up completing a 23 - yard pass to Todd Heap . Five plays later , Stover ' s 43 - yard field goal gave the Ravens a 13 – 10 lead with 53 seconds left . Baltimore ' s defense then sealed the victory by forcing Tennessee to turn the ball over on downs on their own 40 - yard line .