Titans 14, Jets 10
NASHVILLE -- The Titans committed 14 penalties and punted 10 times, but Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets' offense handed Tennessee a win Monday night.
The last two of Sanchez's five turnovers -- his fourth interception of the game and a fumbled snap -- both came in the last two minutes, preserving the Titans' 14-10 victory.
The loss eliminated the Jets from AFC playoff contention.
Jake Locker's 13-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the third quarter was the game-winning score as Tennessee (5-9) prevailed for just the second time in seven games. New York dropped to 6-8 thanks to a performance rife with critical errors.
Sanchez went 13-for-28 for 131 yards, throwing two picks each to Jason McCourty and Michael Griffin. The last one went to Griffin at the 2-yard line with 1:52 remaining, but the Jets got one more chance when Brett Kern shanked a 19-yard punt out of bounds at the Titans' 25-yard line.
However, center Nick Mangold's snap on first down fell at Sanchez's feet. The quarterback briefly picked it up, but he couldn't hang on as running back Bilal Powell booted it away from him. Titans linebacker Zach Brown, who notched two sacks earlier, fell on the fumble to end a ragged contest.
Titans running back Chris Johnson gained 122 yards on 21 carries.
Johnson's 94-yard touchdown run with 8:53 left in the second quarter, which gave Tennessee a 7-3 halftime lead, was the first half's lone offensive highlight. It was the third scoring jaunt of 80 yards or longer this season for Johnson, who owns the NFL record with seven 80-plus-yard touchdown runs.
Johnson nearly outgained the Jets in the first half with just that run. New York managed 99 total yards as quarterbacks Sanchez and Tim Tebow were completely ineffective in the air, throwing for just 27 yards.
Sanchez nearly threw a 4-yard scoring strike to tight end Jeff Cumberland on the Jets' first possession, but Cumberland bobbled the ball as he rolled over. Referee Walt Coleman overturned the touchdown after viewing a replay, and New York had to settle for Nick Folk's 22-yard field goal.
Sanchez played to a passer rating of 16.7 at halftime, when he was 5-for-10 for 27 yards with an interception. On just one throw, an incomplete pass, Tebow's rating was 39.6.
NOTES: Tennessee kicker Rob Bironas' extra point after Johnson's touchdown run gave him 100 points for the season, the sixth consecutive season he's reached that milestone. In franchise history, only Al Del Greco had more 100-point seasons, eight. ... The Jets played without starting tight end Dustin Keller (ankle) and wide receiver Stephen Hill (knee). ... Middle linebacker Colin McCarthy (concussion) was the most notable of the Titans' inactive players.
