Titans’ Victory Is a Clincher

The Tennessee Titans clinched a playoff spot Sunday, but what the defending AFC champions were really celebrating was that their offense finally found the end zone again.

Steve McNair threw three touchdown passes, including two to Eddie George, and the Titans ended a seven-quarter touchdown drought Sunday with their best offensive performance this season in a 35-3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

“It had to be somebody, so let it start now rather than wait for Cleveland or Dallas,” left tackle Brad Hopkins said. “We need to start gaining momentum for the playoffs, and what a better way to do it than match an offensive surge with a defensive surge.”

George also ran for a touchdown as the Titans (11-3) clinched a playoff berth for a second consecutive season and remained one game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Central.

The Titans hadn’t scored a touchdown since their opening drive against Jacksonville on Nov. 26, but they quickly worked out the kinks against Cincinnati (3-11). They punted on their first possessions but scored touchdowns on the next three.

Not even Corey Dillon--coming off his second 200-yard rushing performance of the season--could help Cincinnati against the league’s second-best defense.

Tennessee, which has given Dillon some of his best career highlights, held him to only 42 yards in 18 carries. The Titans stopped him on a fourth and one in the third quarter.

“We just didn’t get anything established early and got behind and really put ourselves in a hole,” Bengal quarterback Scott Mitchell said. “We played into the strength of what they could do. It’s going to be a long tough afternoon if that happens, and it was.”

The Titans had gained 292 yards by halftime and finished with a season-high 443 while Cincinnati had only 171. McNair completed 16 of 26 passes for 229 yards, while George carried 24 times for 81 yards and caught four passes for 20 more yards.

McNair, who barely practiced all week because of a sprained left ankle, ended the drought with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Yancey Thigpen, who out-jumped cornerback Tom Carter and ran in for a 7-0 lead.

“That first touchdown really got us going,” Titan guard Bruce Matthews said. “Hopefully, it’s just a sign of things to come. More than anything, the thing that’s hurt us has been our consistency and the lack thereof.”

George capped the next drive, an 80-yarder, with a five-yard touchdown run. On the next possession, McNair found George in the right corner of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown pass and a 21-3 lead.

It was the first time in George’s career that he has scored both on the ground and through the air.