Titans Win Preseason Opener in Thrilling Fashion
In a game that had it all, the Tennessee Titans emerged victorious in their preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, 16-15. The game was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading blows until the very end.
The Titans’ Brayden Narveson kicked a 59-yard field goal as time expired to give his team the win. It was a thrilling finish to a game that saw both teams show off their depth and talent.
“We put ourselves in a situation to win the game,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “Ty made a great play. We took the ball, Jason made a great kick, and we unfortunately didn’t close it out.”
The Titans’ coach, Brian Callahan, was thrilled with the win. “To win the game on a walk-off field goal to get in position was outstanding,” he said. “And then obviously Narveson hitting from 59 was something that I didn’t have on my bingo card today. So, that was really, really cool to see.”
Narveson, a rookie from North Carolina State, was impressive in his debut, making field goals of 21, 59, and 46 yards in the fourth quarter. “This was probably the coolest,” he said of his game-winner.
The Titans’ Mason Rudolph was also impressive, leading a 78-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Rudolph finished the game 6 of 10 for 63 yards and a touchdown.
The Seahawks’ Sam Howell started and played the first half, making his case to back up Geno Smith. He was 11 of 14 for 153 yards and a touchdown pass with a 136 passer rating.
The Titans’ Malik Willis, a third-round pick in 2022, started and played the second half, giving him a chance to show what he could do with backups. His best drive used up 14 plays and 9:23 setting up Narveson’s first field goal early in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks’ Jason Myers kicked three field goals, including a 50-yarder with 1:55 left to give his team a 15-13 lead. However, Narveson’s 59-yard field goal as time expired gave the Titans the win.
The Titans will wrap up the preseason visiting New Orleans on August 25, while the Seahawks will host Cleveland on August 24.
