Quick take: Bengals hand Titans their first loss in dramatic fashion
Facing an all-out blitz, Palmer finds Houshmandzadeh for the game-winnerÂ
It was over when...
Kerry Collins' last second desperation pass was knocked down by nickelback Jamar Fletcher, sealing the Bengals win over the previously unbeaten Titans. The final score was 31-27.
Game ball
Carson Palmer was spectacularly efficient during the first half, then disappeared for nearly two quarters, but reemerged from his funk just in time to lead the Bengals on the game-winning drive late (very late!) in the fourth quarter. Palmer found Chad Johnson twice for 63 yards, before hooking up with T.J. Houshmandzadeh for a TD from 12 yards out.
Key stat
The Titans outgained Cincinnati in nearly every statistical category, but it was the Bengals efficiency on third down (54.5% vs Tennessee's 33.3%) that ultimately prevailed.
Noteworthy
This was an absolutely crazy game which saw the lead change hands twice in the last minute... Cincinnati dominated the first half, taking a 24-10 lead into halftime. But Tennessee then scored 17 unanswered points, and finally took its first lead of the game when Kerry Collins hooked up with Lendale White for a 2 yard TD with 50 seconds left on the clock... Earlier in the fourth quarter, with the Bengals still up by 11 points and driving deep into Titans territory, Keith Bulluck stripped the ball from Bengals RB Chris Perry, allowing Michael Griffin to pick up the loose ball and run it back 67 yards for the TD that really put the Titans back into the game... Bengals backup WR Glenn Holt ran back a kickoff 101 yards for a TD late in the first half... Cincinnati was seconds away from loosing its third game in a row. The win keeps them within striking distance of Baltimore atop the AFC North.
