The Titans messed around for much of the second half, but the Panthers were the only ones who found out.
Tennessee stayed undefeated this season at Nissan Stadium with a 17-10 victory, moving to 4-7 in 2023.
Though Tennessee ran an effective two-minute drill to pick up a field goal just before halftime, the club struggled to get anything going offensively in the second half. Even after mustering a couple of first downs on a seven-play drive in the fourth quarter, the team had to punt it back to give the Panthers a chance to tie or win the game with 2:57 on the clock.
But Carolina didn’t make Tennessee pay. A short Bryce Young pass went for 3-yards to open the possession. Then Young was sacked for an 8-yard loss before a pass to Chuba Hubbard made it fourth-and-6.
Young’s fourth-down pass was a screen to DJ Chark that the Titans easily snuffed out for no gain to effectively end the contest.
The Panthers finished with 258 yards and 19 first downs, but averaged just 3.9 yards per play. The team failed to score 20 points for the fifth straight game after the bye and the eighth time this season.
Young was 18-of-31 for 194 yards, also gaining 23 yards rushing. He lost a fumble in the first half when he was strip-sacked by Arden Key. Tennessee finished with four sacks and six QB hits along with nine tackles for loss.
On the other side, Tennessee had just 264 yards, 15 first downs, and was 2-of-11 on third down. Rookie Will Levis finished 18-of-28 for 185 yards with no touchdowns or picks.
Running back Derrick Henry had both of the Titans’ touchdowns, finishing the game with 76 yards on 18 carries. DeAndre Hopkins led with three catches for 49 yards.
Now with four wins, Tennessee will host division-rival Indianapolis next week.
The 1-10 Panthers remain on track to earn the No. 1 overall pick — which they’ll send to the Bears. Carolina will be on the road to take on Tampa Bay in Week 13.
The Titans already had a 14-3 lead over the Panthers, but executed a strong two-minute drill to add three points as time expired in the second quarter.
With no timeouts remaining and 14 seconds on the clock, quarterback Will Levis fired a strike over the middle to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for an 18-yard gain down to the Carolina 35. Levis then gathered the offense at the line of scrimmage to spike it with three seconds left.
Nick Folk’s 53-yard field goal was right down the middle to give Tennessee a 17-3 halftime advantage.
Running back Derrick Henry opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown to cap a 15-play, 91-yard drive in the first quarter.
Then in the second quarter, Titans defensive end Arden Key picked up a strip-sack of Bryce Young late in the second quarter, with defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons recovering the loose ball at the Carolina 15.
It was Young’s fourth lost fumble of the season, recording one for the second week in a row.
A couple of plays later, Derrick Henry sprinted in for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Titans a 14-3 lead with 2:27 left in the half.
Young finished the first half 8-of-16 passing for 80 yards, also taking an 11-yard carry.
On the other side, Levis is 13-of-18 for 128 yards. Henry has just 24 yards on 10 carries, but he’s picked up the tough yardage when needed. DeAndre Hopkins has a pair of catches for 30 yards, but Chig Okonkwo leads with three receptions for 39 yards.
There was a controversial play on a third down late in the first half. Levis lofted a ball on the right side to Tyjae Spears who was hit hard to force an incomplete pass. While the play initially appeared to draw a flag for unnecessary roughness, it was picked up to force fourth down.
Panthers outside linebacker DJ Johnson (neck), receiver Laviska Shenault (ankle), and guard Chandler Zavala (knee) are questionable to return.
The Panthers will receive the second-half kickoff.
When the Titans need a play toward the goal line, the solution is clear — run Derrick Henry.
That’s what they did to cap a long drive in the first quarter and take a 7-0 lead over the Panthers.
Henry ran in his fifth touchdown of the season from 1-yard out, capping a 15-play, 91-yard drive that took 9:36 on the clock.
The Titans kept the chains moving by going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 30-yard line, with Henry taking a pitch to the left side for a 3-yard gain.
The club then converted third-and-3 with a 12-yard pass from Will Levis to Chris Moore. And Levis got the club inside the red zone when he sustained a hit from Brian Burns and still delivered an accurate ball to tight end Chin Okonkwo down the left side for a 25-yard gain.
A couple of plays later, Henry powered his way in for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
So far, Levis is 8-of-10 for 99 yards. Henry has 18 yards on eight carries, but he’s gotten the tough yards when needed.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
The Buccaneers had a couple of defensive starters listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Colts, but they will both be in the lineup.
Linebacker Devin White (foot) and cornerback Carlton Davis (hip) both avoided the inactive list for Tampa. Their presence will be all the more significant since the Bucs ruled linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Jamel Dean out on Friday.
Running back Rachaad White was added to the injury report due to a knee issue on Saturday, but he is also active for Sunday’s game.
Steelers at Bengals
Steelers: QB Mason Rudolph, RB Anthony McFarland Jr., S Minkah Fitzpatrick, LB Blake Martinez, DT Montravius Adams, T Dylan Cook
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, RB Chris Evans, CB Cam Taylor-Britt, OL Trey Hill, OL D’Ante Smith, DT Jay Tufele
Jaguars at Texans
Jaguars: WR Elijah Cooks, CB Tyson Campbell, DT DaVon Hamilton, LB Yasir Abdullah, OL Cole Van Lanen
Texans: S Jimmie Ward, QB Case Keenum, RB Mike Boone, LB Jake Hansen, DE Myjai Sanders, G Nick Broeker, WR Noah Brown
Buccaneers at Colts
Buccaneers: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, CB Jamel Dean, LB Cam Gill, LB Lavonte David, OL Brandon Walton, DL Mike Greene, QB John Wolford
Colts: C Ryan Kelly, CB JuJu Brents, TE Drew Ogletree, WR Juwann Winfree, LB Cameron McGrone, OL Arlington Hambright
Patriots at Giants
Patriots: RB Jamycal Hasty, CB Alex Austin, T Vederian Lowe, WR Jalen Reagor, DE Sam Roberts
Giants: RB Jashaun Corbin, S Gervarrius Owens, LB Boogie Basham, T Evan Neal, DL Dexter Lawrence
Saints at Falcons
Saints: DE Isaiah Foskey, DE Kyle Phillips, TE Jimmy Graham, QB Jake Haener, RB Kendre Miller, G Nick Saldiveri
Falcons: WR Mack Hollins, CB Clark Phillips, OL Jovaughn Gwyn, DL Travis Bell, TE John FitzPatrick, DL Joe Gaziano
Panthers at Titans
Panthers: RB Raheem Blackshear, CB CJ Henderson, T Ricky Lee, TE Hayden Hurst, WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
Titans: WR Treylon Burks, QB Malik Willis, DB Terrell Edmunds, LB Caleb Murphy, LB Trevis Gipson
Last Sunday, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports surprised by many by claiming that Panthers coach Frank Reich occupies the hottest seat in the league. Few, however, will be surprised if Panthers owner David Tepper yet again issues pink slips after the season ends, or sooner.
It’s Tepper’s way. He fired Ron Rivera. Tepper hired, then fired during his third season, Matt Rhule. Now, Tepper might fire Reich during or after his first season with the team.
And it’s not just an American football thing. Tepper’s MLS team has played only two seasons. And he has fired two head coaches — including one who just took the team to the postseason.
At some point, it’s not them, it’s him. And, at some point, no football (or soccer) coach with options will opt to work for Tepper.
The good news is he’s driven and motivated and demanding and used to being successful. The bad news is the same.
Tepper is way too involved in the team. Every owner is involved, however. Some just do a better job of hiding it than others.
Tepper doesn’t really try. It oozes from his every pore. He made himself into a billionaire in one industry. Now, he’s determined to have the same success in another.
Of course, as it relates to the financial side of things, he will. It’s impossible not to. As it relates to winning enough games and chasing a championship, the team has regressed on his watch. The sooner he realizes that and makes changes, the better off the team will be.
Don’t count on him admitting it. He’ll think he just needs to put in more hours. Demand more from his coaches and front office. Process more iterations. Learn more lessons. More, more, more.
It’s too much. To step forward, Tepper needs to step back. He’s out of his element, straying beyond his lane.
It’s believed in some league circles that the Panthers drafted Bryce Young because Tepper wanted him, and that the people who work for him are saying they did, too, because they know what’s good for them. If/when Tepper fires Reich or others on the current coaching staff, it will be interesting to see whether reports emerge that, for example, key members of the football operation preferred C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson, but that they didn’t bother because the boss was getting whoever the boss wanted.
Yes, it’s one of the privileges of being the boss. Winning NFL games isn’t one of those privileges. For some owners, the harder they try, the worse it goes. Tepper would be wise to loosen his grip, trust his people, and create an environment that will be viewed as attractive for coaches — and not dysfunctional and radioactive.
That should be his biggest concern. If he fires Reich, no one will want that job. Unless he makes them a financial offer that no coach in his right mind could refuse, even if at that point no coach in his right mind should want to work for Tepper.
