Derrick Henry has two TDs, Titans lead Panthers 17-3 at halftime
The Titans already had a 14-3 lead over the Panthers, but executed a strong two-minute drill to add three points as time expired in the second quarter.
With no timeouts remaining and 14 seconds on the clock, quarterback Will Levis fired a strike over the middle to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for an 18-yard gain down to the Carolina 35. Levis then gathered the offense at the line of scrimmage to spike it with three seconds left.
Nick Folk’s 53-yard field goal was right down the middle to give Tennessee a 17-3 halftime advantage.
Running back Derrick Henry opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown to cap a 15-play, 91-yard drive in the first quarter.
Then in the second quarter, Titans defensive end Arden Key picked up a strip-sack of Bryce Young late in the second quarter, with defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons recovering the loose ball at the Carolina 15.
It was Young’s fourth lost fumble of the season, recording one for the second week in a row.
A couple of plays later, Derrick Henry sprinted in for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Titans a 14-3 lead with 2:27 left in the half.
Young finished the first half 8-of-16 passing for 80 yards, also taking an 11-yard carry.
On the other side, Levis is 13-of-18 for 128 yards. Henry has just 24 yards on 10 carries, but he’s picked up the tough yardage when needed. DeAndre Hopkins has a pair of catches for 30 yards, but Chig Okonkwo leads with three receptions for 39 yards.
There was a controversial play on a third down late in the first half. Levis lofted a ball on the right side to Tyjae Spears who was hit hard to force an incomplete pass. While the play initially appeared to draw a flag for unnecessary roughness, it was picked up to force fourth down.
Panthers outside linebacker DJ Johnson (neck), receiver Laviska Shenault (ankle), and guard Chandler Zavala (knee) are questionable to return.
The Panthers will receive the second-half kickoff.
