Ryan Tannehill threw a touchdown pass and ran for another as the host Tennessee Titans won their sixth consecutive game by defeating the New Orleans Saints 23-21 on Sunday afternoon.
Tannehill completed 19 of 27 for 213 yards for the Titans (8-2), who withstood a potential tying two-point conversion attempt by the Saints with 1:16 remaining.
Trevor Siemian, making his second start at quarterback since Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending knee injury, completed 19 of 34 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns for the Saints (5-4).
Both teams played without their top running back as the Titans' Derrick Henry is on injured reserve after undergoing foot surgery and the Saints' Alvin Kamara was sidelined by a knee injury.
Mark Ingram II, who returned to New Orleans in a trade with Houston last month, started in Kamara's place and rushed for just 47 yards, but that was enough for him to surpass Deuce McAllister as the franchise's all-time leading rusher.
The Titans recovered Deonte Harris' fumble at the Saints 19 on the second-half kickoff. That led to Tannehill's 2-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt that increased Tennessee's lead to 20-6.
Ingram's 13-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 20-12 at the end of the third quarter.
Randy Bullock kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Titans a 23-12 lead before Brian Johnson, who missed both of his extra-point tries, kicked a 20-yard field goal to make it a one-score game with 5:35 left.
Siemian threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Callaway, but after a false-start penalty his two-point conversion pass failed, as did the ensuing onside kick.
Marcus Johnson turned a short completion from Tannehill into a 50-yard gain, setting up Bullock's 28-yard field goal that gave Tennessee a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Siemian answered with a 46-yard completion to Harris, setting up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith for a 6-3 New Orleans lead before Bullock kicked a tying 36-yard field goal.
Tannehill ran one yard for a touchdown that gave Tennessee a 13-6 lead.
--Field Level Media
New Orleans | Tennessee | |
Mark Ingram II | Player | D'Onta Foreman |
14 | Attempts | 11 |
47 | Yards | 30 |
3.4 | Avg Yards | 2.7 |
1 | Touchdowns | 0 |
13 | Long | 6 |
New Orleans | Tennessee | |
Deonte Harris | Player | Marcus Johnson |
3 | Receptions | 5 |
84 | Yards | 100 |
28.0 | Avg Yards | 20.0 |
0 | Touchdowns | 0 |
46 | Long | 50 |
Yards | Scoring | Defense | ||||||
Team | Tot | Rus | Pas | TD | FG | INT | Sck | FF |
New Orleans | 373 | 86 | 287 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 |
Tennessee | 264 | 66 | 198 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4.0 | 1 |