The Halloween spirited crowd rejoiced when the San Diego Chargers defeated the Tennessee Titans 33-25. Among the many costumes in the crowd was a lone Titans fan dressed as Superman. While the Titans may have ‘Super’ aspirations this year, it appears that the Chargers are their kryptonite. For the 8th straight time the Chargers defeated the Titans, dropping Tennessee to a 5-3 record before their bye week.
NOTE FROM JIMMY- No MCM Radio tonight due to Halloween. We will do an hour Wednesday night like always.
Seeing as head coach Jeff Fisher had never beaten the Chargers, many predicted that San Diego would prevail in this game, despite their recent troubles. The first hint that the Chargers would win this game was when Tennessee wide receiver Kenny Britt went down with an injury. Britt dropped a very catchable pass from Vince Young in the first quarter and pulled his hamstring in the process. Had Britt caught the pass, chances are he would have given the Titans a touchdown and not injured his hamstring. Britt’s absence limited Tennessee’s offense for the rest of the day, especially on 3rd downs and in the red zone.
The second hint that the Chargers would win this game came only two plays later. Vince Young again looked deep and threw the ball to tight end Jared Cook. Cook had the San Diego defense beat, but failed to adjust to an underthrown ball and dropped it inside the ten yard line. Once again, the Titans failed to capitalize on an early chance to score a touchdown.
The third hint that signaled a Charger victory may have been the turning point in the game. Michael Griffin stepped in front of a Phil Rivers’ pass and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. However, the Titans’ celebration was short lived when Griffin was called for holding, negating his interception and giving the ball back to the Chargers. The Chargers capitalized on the break when Rivers hit Antonio Gates two plays later for a 48 yard touchdown.
The fourth and final hint that signified the Chargers would win this game was when Vince Young aggravated his left ankle injury during a 4th quarter scramble. The injury seemed to suck the wind out of the Titans, as Young had already led the Tennessee offense on four scoring drives.
Kerry Collins substituted for Young in the 4th quarter, but the Titans were down by eight at that point. Collins’ desperate 4th quarter rally came up short when Chris Johnson failed to secure Collins’ pass at the Charger 10 yard line. Had Johnson made the catch, the Titans would have had a chance to tie the game, but it was fairly clear at that point that this was not the Titans’ day.
On this Halloween Sunday, the Chargers seemed to have a solution for every trick the Titans threw at them. While many expected this game to be end of the Titans’ impressive three game winning streak, the loss begs the question – is this Titans team merely another playoff candidate with some obvious weaknesses, or are they a legitimate Super Bowl contender?
When the Titans play the Chargers, the answer is obvious.