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Sloppy Titans Prevail

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By TERESA M. WALKER, The Associated Press

Published: October 8, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Atlanta Falcons had first-and-goal at the Tennessee 1, needing a touchdown to get even with 2 minutes left.

When Albert Haynesworth leaped and turned a toss play into an 8-yard loss, Tennessee's resilient, stingy defense bailed out sloppy Titans quarterback Vince Young.

Vincent Fuller picked off a pass and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown, and Kyle Vanden Bosch sacked Byron Leftwich with 1:01 left, as the Tennessee Titans overcame five turnovers in pulling out a 20-13 victory Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

'When you get on the 1-yard line, you assume that your team is going to put the ball in for seven,' Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall said.

The win allowed the Titans (3-1) to continue their best start since 2003 when they last reached the playoffs. This is the fourth 3-1 start under Coach Jeff Fisher, and they made the postseason the three previous times.

But it couldn't have been uglier for a team coming off its bye. Young matched his career high with three interceptions and said he knows he made bad decisions by trying to force some balls.

'Our defense saved this game,' Young said.

Fisher agreed.

'The obvious reason we won this game was because of the performance, the consistent performance and never-say-die attitude the defense took throughout the game,' Fisher said.

Atlanta (1-4) scored only 13 points off the turnovers and botched plenty of chances to win, including three missed field goals.

'The bottom line is their defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage, and we couldn't make plays when they were there,' Atlanta coach Bobby Petrino said.

Petrino replaced a battered Joey Harrington, who threw for 87 yards, with Leftwich trying to spark the offense in the fourth quarter. Leftwich overthrew open Laurent Robinson in the end zone after Demorrio Williams intercepted Young's pass with 4:15 to go.

Williams gave Leftwich another shot, breaking through and tackling Titans punter Craig Hentrich at the Tennessee 19 with 2:24 left. That gave Atlanta the ball with 2:24 left, and Warrick Dunn, held to 9 yards on his previous nine carries, broke loose for 18.

That was as close as the Falcons would get, and Vanden Bosch's sack on fourth-and-5 sealed the victory.

Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said this win showed Tennessee has all it takes to be a good team.

Atl-Hall 56 fumble return (Andersen kick), 10:00.

Ten-C.Brown 3 run (Bironas kick), 6:15.

Second Quarter

Atl-FG Andersen 32, 11:15.

Ten-FG Bironas 30, :00.

Third Quarter

Atl-FG Andersen 28, 10:08.

Ten-FG Bironas 40, 6:56.

Ten-Fuller 76 interception return (Bironas kick), 1:00.

A-69,143.

RUSHING-Atlanta, Pinner 1-49, Dunn 10-27, Norwood 6-23, Leftwich 3-1, Mughelli 1-1, White 1-(minus 2). Tennessee, White 12-32, C.Brown 10-27, Young 8-27, Davis 1-14, Hentrich 1-(minus 8).

PASSING-Atlanta, Harrington 16-31-1-87, Leftwich 2-8-1-28. Tennessee, Young 20-33-3-157.

RECEIVING-Atlanta, Robinson 4-27, White 3-55, Dunn 2-12, Milner 2-8, Crumpler 2-4, Norwood 2-4, Horn 2-3, Jenkins 1-2. Tennessee, Moulds 4-31, B.Jones 3-36, Gage 3-15, Troupe 2-22, R.Williams 2-19, Hall 2-17, C.Brown 2-7, Hartsock 1-7, Scaife 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS-Atlanta, Koenen 53 (SH), Koenen 50 (WL), Andersen 48 (SH). Tennessee, Bironas 47 (WL).

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