EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –In a New York second, everything changed for the Tennessee Titans.
Instead of an exhilarating, last-second win, the Titans suffered another gut-wrenching loss, this time to the New York Giants.
And, in many ways, they had no one to blame but themselves.
On a first-and-goal from the seven-yard line, quarterback Cam Ward was intercepted in the end zone with 17 seconds left, and the Titans lost 12-7 to the Giants on a day when they waited too long to get going on offense.
“It’s a play where I have to give my receiver a chance to make a play,” Ward said.
The Titans are now 0-3 on the season, with back-to-back losses coming in the final moments. A week ago, the Titans allowed the Eagles to score the go-ahead touchdown with nine seconds left.
“(I told Cam) the same thing I told the team,” Titans coach Robert Saleh said. “We did a lot of good things, and for Cam, just keep your head up and keep going. Last week we had the game in our hands and lost it from a defensive standpoint, this week from an offensive standpoint we couldn’t quite finish.
“Eventually if we keep putting ourselves in these positions, we’ll find a way to win.”
Ward completed 23-of-36 passes for 181 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the contest on a day when the offense struggled to get anything going until late.
Meanwhile, the defense allowed the Giants to make just enough plays to get a win on a rainy and gloomy day at MetLife Stadium.
Still, the Titans nearly pulled off a comeback win the closing moments.
With 5:35 left in the game, Ward threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Wan’Dale Robinson to make it 12-7.
The Titans got the ball back, and the team had a chance to close the deal. But after a 13-play, 64-yard drive, Ward was intercepted in the end zone while trying to get the ball to receiver Elic Ayomanor, who was running to the right corner.
“I think I just should have thrown it higher,” Ward said of his final pass. “Elic did a great job winning the scramble drill for me. I think if I would’ve thrown it higher, it would have been a different result, if not, throw it out of bounds and live to play another play.
“I don’t think it was reckless, it just wasn’t a good ball at the end of the day.”
It was an ominous start for the Titans, who fumbled the opening kickoff.
The defense rose up to bail out returner Chimere Dike after that early miscue, but after struggling early on offense, the Titans trailed the Giants 3-0 after the first quarter on a 39-yard field goal by kicker Dominic Zvada.
The Giants made it 6-0 on another field goal by Zvada, this one from 27 yards.
The Titans had trouble getting anything going on offense in the first half, when the team failed to get a first down until just over a minute remaining in the first half, a stretch that included four straight three-and-out possessions.
The Titans had a chance for points near the end of the first half, but a 59-yard field goal by kicker Joey Slye sailed wide. The Giants added a 39-yard field goal by Zvada to lead 9-0 at the half.
The Titans managed just one first down and 54 yards of offense in the game’s first 30 minutes.
The Giants stretched their lead to 12-0 early in the first quarter on another Zvada field goal, this one from 30 yards.
Then came a late, 13-play, 91-yard scoring drive for the Titans, which was capped off with Ward’s touchdown pass to Robinson.
The comeback hopes ended with the interception in the end zone.
“Oh man,” defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. “It’s one of those things where you are tired of hearing, “Growing pains,” tired of hearing, “We fell short.” You get tired of the same things. The game of football is about winning – somebody has to win the game. … We need to do more. We have to stop talking, we have to say less, do more.
“We have to (find a way). I am tired of saying the same thing. We can continue to say the tide is going to turn, but we have to do it. We continue to go out there and not do enough to win football games. Someone has to win, and someone has to lose, and we’re 0 and 3 right now. That means we are not doing enough to win football games.”
The Titans return to action next Sunday at the Baltimore Ravens.
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