NASHVILLE – The Titans ended the 2025 calendar year on a sour note.
The chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since the 2022 season went up in smoke in the second half on Sunday at Nissan Stadium as the Saints rallied for a 34-26 win.
It left defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons pondering the thought of better days ahead – and how to win back-to-back games in the future. Titans interim head coach Mike McCoy informed players of that streak on Saturday night.
"I wish I knew," Simmons said of the team's inability to win two in a row. "When coach McCoy said last night we hadn't won two in a row in a long time, that was surprising. I'm like: What the heck? I want to get back to winning football games, and that has to be our mindset (moving forward): How can we stack wins? Because we haven't done that in a long time."
The home finale provided plenty of fireworks, but it ended in disappointment.
"To sum it up," McCoy said, "we didn't finish. Simple as that. We did not finish. We got outscored 24-6 in the second half."
Titans quarterback Cam Ward completed 21-of-40 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. It was Ward's fourth straight game with two touchdown passes.
Running back Tony Pollard ran for 85 yards on 18 carries. Pollard eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the contest.
But the Titans surrendered 423 yards on defense, when the Saints surged ahead and the held on.
With the loss, the Titans dropped to 3-13.
"Obviously it's frustrating," receiver Chimere Dike said. "You want to be able to stack wins in the league, and we weren't able to do that. It was a good opportunity for us today, but we are going to come back to work and keep building.'
The Titans led for most of the contest – 6-0 after the first, 20-10 at the half, and 23-20 after three quarters.
But the lead slip away in the fourth quarter, and the Titans couldn't come back.
Back-to-back field goals by kicker Joey Slye, from 50 and 38 yards, gave the Titans an early 6-0 lead.
Then came a big play by the Titans, courtesy of Ward and tight end Chig Okonkwo.
On a fourth-and-two from the New Orleans 43, Ward found an open Okonkwo, and the tight end did the rest. After catching the ball, Okonkwo raced downfield, and after shoving off would-be tackler Kool-Aid McKinstry at the 12-yard line, he raced into the end zone for a touchdown.
Okonkwo danced, and the Titans had a 13-0 lead at the 12:57 mark of the second quarter.
After the Saints cut the lead to 13-3 on a 56-yard field goal by kicker Charlie Smyth, they got a big play from defensive end Chase Young. With Ward already under pressure in the pocket, Young came up from behind and took the ball away from Ward and raced 33 yards for a touchdown to make it 13-10 at the 3:51 mark of the second quarter.
But Ward and the Titans got off the mat, as Ward connected with Elic Ayomanor for a seven-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left before halftime to make to 20-10 Titans at the break.
The Saints came out firing to start the second half, however, and quarterback Tyler Shough cut the lead to 20-17 on a 19-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chris Olave.
Another Slye field goal, this one from 28 yards, made it 23-17 Titans with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
After Smyth and the Saints answered back with a 57-yard field goal to make it 23-20 late in the third, Slye responded with a 58-yard field goal of his own to make it 26-20 with 12:50 left.
After trailing all game, the Saints took their first lead of the game on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Shough to Kevin Austin Jr. to make it 27-26 with 6:22 left.
The Saints extended the lead to 34-26 with 3:44 left on a 31-yard touchdown run by Audric Estime.
The Titans had two opportunities with the football in the closing minutes, but they couldn't find any late-game magic.
The Titans will wrap up the 2025 season next weekend at the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Tennessee Titans take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 17 at Nissan Stadium.
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Camden HallTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald PageTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Beau BruneTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints compete at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie RogersTennessee Titans
