Bironas' Late FG Lifts Tennessee Titans On MNF

NFL News - November 24th, 2009 - Written by John

With all the intrigue surrounding the Tennessee Titans in their remarkable turnaround, there was really only one thing that mattered. Tennessee's Rob Bironas made his kick, and Houston's Kris Brown didn't.

Bironas was perfect in the clutch with just under a minute left to go. He kicked a 53-yarder straight through the uprights to give his team a three-point lead. Brown, the lone Texan left on the team from the inaugural club in 2001, had a chance to tie it after quarterback Matt Schaub marched the offense into field-goal position, but missed a 49-yard field goal with a second left to give the Titans their fourth win in a row, 20-17.

Bironas has suddenly gotten a knack for making big kicks against the Houston Texans. In 2007, he kicked an NFL record eight field goals against Houston, and nailed the game-winner as time expired.

"I always feel good down here...I like Houston," he told ESPN. "I don't think Houston likes me too much."

It could have been avoided, though. His kick left just under a minute left, and the home team was able to navigate it's way down the field to potentially force overtime. Schaub made two first-down passes in a row to get it to Tennessee's 37. After spiking the ball, he then took the snap and laid down at midfield to give Brown the best possible angle. It didn't matter, for the second time this year, the potential winner sailed left, giving Houston it's second-consecutive division loss at the buzzer.

In Week Nine of the 2009 NFL Season, Brown also missed the game winner against the Indianapolis Colts, which would have been the division-leader's first loss and shifted the power of the division a bit.

"The frustrating part for me is, we have 44 guys out there, busting their tails, and one guy out there not doing his job, which is me," Brown said. "That's the reason we lose the game. That's hard. I've got to figure out what the heck's going on, and I need to figure it out pretty quick."

Instead, the Titans exploded on the sideline, celebrating a drastic change of course after being left for dead in the AFC South. They have as much momentum as anyone, and look capable of turning the 0-6 start into an 8-8 season with Vince Young at quarterback. And with the Denver Broncos floundering, and nobody making a move behind the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North, an 8-8 season might be good enough to reach the playoffs.

"I think you get a sense this game could have gone in either direction," Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said on ESPN. "I can't say how much it means to us to come back in here and get back on track again and fortunately get a win."

Young was 12-for-22 for 116 yards and a touchdown. He also added 73 rushing yards, including a critical third-down run that got Bironas into field position on the Titans' final drive. He has now won eight-straight starts, which is third only to Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

To do it, Young really only had to turn around and give the ball to Chris Johnson, who padded his lead atop the league rushing board. He ran for 151 yards, giving him five-straight games of 120 yards or more, including a long of 36.

It spoiled the day by Schaub, who threw for 305 yards on 25 completions and two touchdowns.

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