The longest active losing streak in the NFL came to an end Sunday.
All it took was scoring one of the wildest, unlikeliest touchdowns of the season.
Trailing by as much as 21-3 in Week 5 on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, the Tennessee Titans had pulled within 21-12 with less than five minutes left when Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in last spring’s NFL draft, let loose a pass toward the end zone.
Ward’s pass was tipped, then intercepted by Arizona’s Dadrion Taylor-Demerson at the 6-yard line — and from that moment on, the play went from a straightforward turnover that might have sealed a badly needed win for Arizona into a comedy of errors that tilted the game toward Tennessee.
While he was falling to the ground, trying to steady himself after the pick, Taylor-Demerson fumbled. A teammate, Kei’Trel Clark, ran in to recover the loose ball but inadvertently kicked it backward to the 3, where it caromed farther off two other Cardinals defenders into the end zone. Tennessee’s Tyler Lockett dived on the ball for a stunning touchdown that brought the Titans within 21-19.
The Titans went on to win, 22-21, with a field goal on the final play of regulation, to complete a comeback that would have been memorable for any team — the Titans at one point had the lowest average win probability of any winning team since 2016, per the NFL — but particularly improbable given it was this team.
Tennessee entered Week 5 with ignominious distinction. Its 10-game losing streak, dating to last season, was the longest active winless streak in the league. If it lost again and extended it to 11, it would have matched the franchise’s longest losing streak since 1994. And Ward, 0-4 to start his career, was trying to avoid becoming the latest member of an exclusive club — joining eight other QBs drafted No. 1 overall to start their careers 0-5.
Tennessee left the game with catharsis. Arizona, meanwhile, left with a familiar dread. All five of the Cardinals’ games this season have been decided on the final possession — including three straight losses.