The Sports Xchange
Sep 18, 2016
DETROIT -- Andre Johnson caught a 9-yard scoring pass from Marcus Mariota on fourth down with 1:13 remaining, lifting the Tennessee Titans to a 16-15 penalty-filled win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field.
Johnson's lone catch of the game on fourth-and-4 finished off a 13-play, 83-yard drive.
Mariota completed all nine of his pass attempts on the possession. The Titans failed to convert the two-point attempt.
Perrish Cox's interception with 22 seconds left sealed the win for Tennessee (1-1)..
Mariota was 25 of 33 for 238 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. DeMarco Murray gained 89 yards on 12 carries and caught seven passes for 56 yards.
Matthew Stafford was 22 of 40 for 260 yards with one touchdown and an interception for Detroit (1-1). Marvin Jones caught eight passes for 118 yards. Running back Ameer Abdullah suffered a foot injury late in the first half and did not return.
The Lions committed 17 penalties for 138 yards, while the Titans were flagged for 12 for 83 yards. Detroit emerged from a penalty-filled first half with a 12-3 lead.
The Lions' defense produced the first points midway through the opening quarter. With Tennessee backed up to its 5-yard line, defensive end Devin Taylor broke through the line and pulled down Murray in the end zone for a safety.
Stafford showed some nimbleness on the Lions' first offensive touchdown. He scrambled to his left and found Anquan Boldin in the middle of the end zone with 4:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Ryan Succop's 46-yard field goal with 12:03 left in the half put the Titans on the board.
The Lions drove all the way to the Titans' 1-yard line, then had two apparent touchdown passes wiped out by penalties on back-to-back plays. They ended up settling for Matt Prater's 42-yard field goal.
Prater connected from 27 yards out late in the third to make it 15-3. That score was set up by Stafford's 24-yard scramble and a roughing the passer penalty.
Tight end Delanie Walker caught a 30-yard scoring pass from Mariota on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting Detroit's lead to five.
NOTES: Detroit DE Ziggy Ansah suffered a left ankle injury on the first defensive series and did not return. ... WR Kendall Wright and OLB Derrick Morgan, who are nursing hamstring injuries, were among the notable inactives for Tennessee. Lions OLB DeAndre Levy (quad) and TE Cole Wick (shoulder) headed their list of inactives. ... Titans QB Marcus Mariota threw 10 touchdown passes and was intercepted just once in six road games last season. ... The Titans won the last four meetings, most recently a 44-41 overtime victory in 2012. Detroit's last victory came on Dec. 10, 1995, when the Tennessee franchise was still in Houston.