Baltimore had tied the game on a leaping 35-yard touchdown grab by tight end Todd Heap from quarterback Anthony Wright with 4:30 remaining in the game. And the Ravens seemed to be in business again when cornerback Chris McAlister intercepted McNair on the third play of the ensuing drive, but three plays and a costly personal foul later, the Ravens were forced to punt the ball away, setting up the Titans’ game-winning drive.
Tennessee jumped out to a quick start with a 10-play, 67-yard drive for a touchdown on their first possession of the game. The drive was capped by a six-yard TD run by rookie Chris Brown, the first of his NFL career. Brown finished the game with 61 yards on 11 carries.
After taking the kickoff, the Ravens failed to move the ball and were forced to punt after three plays, before their defense got things started. Safety Ed Reed tipped a first-down McNair pass to teammate Will Demps, who returned it 56 yards for the tying score. Baltimore added a 43-yard field goal by Matt Stover late in the first half to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.
Despite throwing three interceptions, McNair came up big when it counted, and running back Eddie George put in a gutsy performance with 88 yards on 25 carries despite dislocating his shoulder tackling Reed after an interception in the first half.
After leading the league in rushing with 2,066 yards during the regular season, running back Jamal Lewis was held to a season-low 35 yards on 14 carries.
The Titans will advance to play either the Kansas City Chiefs or the New England Patriots in next weekend’s playoff action.
