NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mason Rudolph told first-year Titans coach Brian Callahan not to worry after a rookie quarterback’s amazing play with no time left to force overtime.
This time, Rudolph promised Tennessee would win.
Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:32 left in overtime and the Titans beat the New England Patriots 20-17 Sunday, giving Callahan his first victory at home this season.
“I mean, look at me,” an emotional Callahan said of the win. “I needed it bad, man. Yeah, we needed it.”
The Titans (2-6) snapped both a three-game skid overall and at Nissan Stadium. They came in having lost three games decided by a touchdown or less this season. This was the Titans’ first win since Sept. 30.
“We all needed that,” Rudolph said.
The Patriots (2-7) got rookie Drake Maye back after the third overall pick out of North Carolina cleared the concussion protocol Saturday. He started after being knocked out of last week’s win over the Jets and used his legs, running for a career-best and team-high 95 yards.
New England had a final chance after Maye forced overtime with a 5-yard TD pass to Rhamondre Stevenson. But Amani Hooker’s second interception of the game clinched the victory for the Titans with 2:07 left.
“Now we’re starting to piece it together, and that’s the result we got,” Hooker said of the Titans with a new coaching staff and so many new players.
Maye blamed himself for not throwing the ball away on first down with time remaining.
“Just a bad decision on my part,” the rookie said.
Tennessee finished with four sacks and three turnovers turned into a touchdown from a defense that came in leading the NFL in both the fewest yards allowed and passing yards. The fourth sack came when Arden Key also stripped Maye of the ball that was recovered at the Patriots 26 by Jeffery Simmons.
Rudolph threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrooke-Ikhine with 4:27 left for the Titans’ first points in the fourth quarter since Sept. 30.
With no timeouts left, Marcus Jones, who came in leading the AFC in punt return average, took a punt 25 yards to midfield with 1:45 left to set up a thrilling finish between two struggling teams.
Maye drove the Patriots to the Titans 5, then scrambled around looking for someone to get open. He took 11.82 seconds to find Stevenson for the TD, the second-longest time to throw on any TD pass since 2016 when the NFL started using Next Gen Stats to track that.
First-year Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Maye’s mental toughness and ability to run gave them a chance to win. Asked if Maye running around so much played into Mayo’s decision to kick the extra point and go to overtime rather than go for 2 and the win.
“I don’t want to get into that,” Mayo said of the Patriots’ second overtime loss this season. “It’s a good question. I just don’t want to get into it now.”
Only Jayden Daniels’ game-winner for Washington last week against Chicago took longer at 12.7 seconds. Joey Slye tied it up with the extra point, forcing overtime.
Rudolph finished with 240 yards passing, starting his third straight game for Will Levis. Tony Pollard, who finished with 128 yards rushing despite not practicing all week, keyed the opening drive with a 32-yard run. Rudolph put the Titans up with a 9-yard TD pass to Nick Vannett.
Tennessee came in with one of the NFL’s worst offenses in several categories, and the Titans needed overtime to score more than 17 points for only the second time this season.
The Titans had first-and-goal twice. The first ended with Rudolph’s tipped pass that was intercepted in the end zone. They settled for a 21-yard field goal by Folk, tying it at 10 inside the final minute of the third after Pollard’s 8-yard TD run on first-and-goal was wiped out by a holding penalty on Josh Whyle.
Patriots S Marte Mapu hurt his neck early but returned late in the second quarter. DE Deatrich Wise Jr., who had a sack in the first half, was hurt late in the third. DT Jaquelin Roy walked off after going down with 4:40 left.
Titans S Quandre Diggs hurt his left foot early in the second quarter and needed a cart to take him to the locker room. He was quickly ruled out. C Lloyd Cushenberry hurt an ankle late in the third quarter and didn’t return. Callahan said the early reports for Diggs and Cushenberry weren’t “real positive.”
Corey Levin made his season debut, replacing Cushenberry. DL Jeffery Simmons hurt his right leg inside the final minute.
The Patriots continue their two-game road swing at Chicago, while the Titans visit the Chargers.
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