Titans find a way to get it done

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Just win, baby.

That phrase was coined by the Oakland Raiders way back when, but since they don’t do much winning anymore, perhaps the 10-0 Tennessee Titans should adopt it.

Especially after Sunday’s 24-14 comeback victory in which the Titans rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to complete biggest turnaround to date this season and finish off the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Two quarters in, all signs pointed to the Titans finally succumbing to fate with the ’72 Miami Dolphins ready to exhale and pop the champagne.

But these Titans don’t go away quickly or easily, as the Jaguars found out in the Tennessee-dominated second half that ended with 21 unanswered points by the visitors.

Those points came courtesy of quarterback Kerry Collins’ arm, as he rifled three second-half touchdown passes, a 13-yarder to Brandon Jones that pulled the Titans to within 14-10 on their first drive of the second half.

That was followed with a pair of touchdown passes from Collins to Justin Gage, a 56-yard on the next series to give Tennessee its first lead, and a 38-yarder with 3:57 to play that sealed it and sent the Titans to their 10th straight win to open the year and 13th in a row dating to last year.

How unlikely was Sunday’s turnaround? It took Collins’ first three-touchdown passing performance since Dec. 31, 2005. It gave Gage the best receiving day of his career with four catches for 147 yards and the two scores.

And it came with the Titans down to the last man standing at cornerback in Chris Carr, who naturally had a game-turning interception and batted away two other David Garrard passes after replacing and injured Eric King, who started only because Nick Harper was out with an ankle injury.

“They find a way,” offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger said. “I’m getting a lot of gray hair, and I don’t know if I can keep taking it, but the great thing is I love the way they compete. I’ve said from the beginning that I love the way these guys work at it and compete and they don’t panic.”

In the locker room halftime, with their first loss staring them squarely in the face at halftime, the Titans showed no signs of panic — only resiliency and determination to make amends for a first half that saw Jacksonville rush for 91 yards and a pair of Maurice Jones-Drew touchdowns, plus a seven Tennessee penalties for 32 yards.

Add to that, the fact that the Titans were 0-for-6 on third down and that Collins was intercepted on the first series of the game, and it was as bleak a setting as the team had faced this season.

“All the touchdowns they got, we gave it to them,” defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said. “There were all the penalties and giving them extra yards to get down. Once we cut out the nonsense we were doing, and quit giving them stuff, they couldn’t move the ball on us.”

While Collins ignited the offense with his arm, completing 9 of 13 for 144 yards and the three scores in the second half, the defense stifled Jacksonville by allowing just 84 yards and no points after halftime.

When it was over, the Titans had stayed perfect for another week and took another step toward their ultimate goal as a team brimming with confidence.

“If we play Titan football, we feel like we can’t lose,” Gage said.

Yet, the Titans say it is confidence combined with hard work and humility that have kept them unblemished through 10 games now.

“I think the most important thing for us is to stay humble. That’s a big part of what allows us to come play every Sunday and gives us a chance to win,” Collins said. “If we don’t play well, we’re going to lose. This team has a little bit of, ‘Hey, we’ve got to come and play every week,’ and I think that’s what’s allowed us to come in and play well.

“We know that if we don’t come to play, things are going to happen like happened in the first half. Having said that, we found a way to win, and that’s the most important characteristic of all.”