Young Savors First NFL Win

Vince Young took his time making sure his pinstripe suit was on just right. He even asked a member of the Tennessee Titans’ staff to straighten the turquoise tie with the lavender floral pattern.

The rookie had finally won a game in the NFL, 25-22 over Washington on Sunday, and he wanted to look as good as he felt.

“It means a whole lot to me,” said the No. 3 overall draft pick. “Just last week, I was real upset. I thought we were better than 0-5.”

Young rallied his team from an 11-point first-half deficit, Travis Henry ran for a career-high 178 yards and Rob Bironas kicked the last of his three field goals with 5:11 remaining.

“I just think it’s real important right now that our club understands how this feels, because it’s been a long time,” said Coach Jeff Fisher, whose team was buoyed by last week’s 14-13 close call against Indianapolis. “They deserved to win this game.”

Perhaps nobody on the Titans (1-5) felt the sting of the losing streak worse than the quarterback who finished 30-2 at the University of Texas. On Wednesday, he said he was anxious and miserable, so his teammates Sunday were more than ready to celebrate the first victory of a rebuilding team’s new era.

“This is huge for Vince, man. He’s not used to losing,” said offensive lineman Jacob Bell, who moved from right tackle to left guard for the second straight week and helped produce 194 yards rushing. “We need to keep this thing rolling.”

Young, making his third start, completed 13 of 25 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, easily his best day as a pro. He played much of the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle after getting hurt on a scramble.

The Titans are already in the also-ran category for the season, and the Redskins (2-4) are headed that way as well.

A team that boldly spoke of Super Bowl aspirations before the season now must live with the humiliation of being beaten by a winless team with a rookie quarterback.