NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans spent a few extra minutes celebrating a rare achievement for a franchise struggling through its fourth consecutive losing season.
They believed the first home victory in more than a year deserved to be enjoyed.
Rookie quarterback Cam Ward threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and the Titans snapped an 11-game skid at Nissan Stadium by beating the Kansas City Chiefs 26-9 on Sunday in a matchup of two teams already eliminated from postseason contention.
“What a great team win,” said Mike McCoy, who improved to 2-7 as Tennessee’s interim coach since Brian Callahan was fired after a 1-7 start to his second season leading Nashville’s NFL franchise. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be. It’s been a long time coming since we’ve won a home game here.”
The Titans (3-12) won at home for the first time in eight tries this season, ending a skid that matched the worst for the franchise formerly known as the Houston Oilers since moving to Tennessee in 1997. The Titans lost 11 straight home games across the 2014-15 seasons, a stretch that also included a head coach fired early in his second season.
Sunday was Tennessee’s first home win since a 20-17 overtime victory against the New England Patriots on Nov. 3, 2024.
“It’s a good win just because it was the first time we played good enough, complementary, all three phases,” said Ward, who helped the AFC South Division’s last-place Titans bounce back from last week’s 37-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and win for the second time in three games.
With two games left, the AFC West’s Chiefs (6-9) are assured of their first losing record since the 2012 season, their most recent without Andy Reid as head coach. Kansas City has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2017, and six of its past seven.
“Nobody likes to lose in this business,” said Reid, whose tenure includes three Super Bowl victories and two other appearances in the NFL’s big game, including last season. “But my hat goes off for the guys that put together all these years.
“That’s part of it. We can learn from it and need to do that going forward. Sometimes a good kick in the tail there helps you — coaches and players.”
A week after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL, the two-time NFL MVP’s backup, Gardner Minshew, was knocked out of the game with a knee injury early in the second quarter. Reid said he didn’t have any results after the game but that Minshew would have an MRI exam.
“It’s definitely an unprecedented situation that I’ve never been a part of,” six-time All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “But as Coach Reid said, we work with who we’ve got, and we just keep it moving.”
Ward posted the highest passer rating of his NFL career 122.3, and the No. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft overtook Marcus Mariota for the most passing yards by a rookie in franchise history. Ward helped the Titans roll up a season-high 376 yards of offense against a defense that came in as the NFL’s eighth stingiest in yards allowed this season.
Ward threw a shovel pass to Chig Okonkwo for a 7-yard touchdown that put the Titans ahead to stay late in the first half, and he also found fellow rookie Chimere Dike for a 1-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Tennessee’s Tony Pollard ran for 102 yards, giving the seventh-year pro from Memphis three straight 100-yard rushing games for the first time in his career. Tyjae Spears added a 4-yard rushing touchdown, and Joey Slye had a 27-yard field goal for the final margin.
Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons tackled Kansas City running back Kareem Hunt in the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 lead early in the second quarter. Simmons also batted down a pair of passes, and the Titans finished with four sacks.
“Once again, Jeff’s Jeff,” McCoy said. “What he’s done, getting the safety, the way he played, the ways he leads, it’s unbelievable.”
The battered Chiefs came in with Mahomes on injured reserve along with right tackle Jawaan Taylor. They also declared nine players out Friday, including five starters, led by wide receiver Rashee Rice, left tackle Jaylon Moore and cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Minshew, who made his first start of the season, was 3-of-8 passing for 15 yards when he exited. After he got hurt, the Chiefs turned to Chris Oladokun, just signed to the roster from the practice squad, who appeared in an NFL game outside of the preseason for just the second time.
“I probably could give him better stuff to work with,” Reid said of Oladokun. “In particular, give him some more reps during the week. He didn’t have any reps to lead him in, but for what he was asked to do, I thought he did a nice job.”
Oladokun, who handed off on his first five snaps, connected with tight end Travis Kelce for his first NFL completion. Oladokun, who finished 11-of-16 for 111 yards, drove the Chiefs to a trio of field goals by Harrison Butker.
The Titans had a 1-yard touchdown run by Pollard taken off the board with close to four minutes left after Simmons was flagged for illegal formation for not reporting as eligible to referee Clete Blakeman.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder, who caught a touchdown pass a week earlier when he also lined up on offense against the 49ers, thought he was too big to miss.
“I mean, I’m a defensive player. You see I wear a big arm brace, red sleeve, looking right at you, and I’m throwing my arm up and rubbing my chest,” Simmons said, pointing out his No. 98.
The Titans will play their home finale next Sunday against the NFC South’s last-place New Orleans Saints (5-10) before closing with a division game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The ailing Chiefs have little time to get ready for their next game, and this one is against a division rival that is among the league’s best this season as the first-place Denver Broncos (12-3) visit Thursday night as part of the NFL’s Christmas tripleheader.