NFL fans were stunned as the Tennessee Titans registered a late interception of the year contender with a stunning moment of ingenuity in their agonising defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The Titans fell 17-14 at SoFi Stadium in LA after quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered an injury as he only threw for 165 yards. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw a pair of interceptions but his team were able to grind out the win with kicker Cameron Dicker connecting on the winning field goal as time expired.
The defeat to the Chargers means the Titans have sunk to 7-7, although they still remain atop the AFC South. The loss has opened the door to the 6-8 Jacksonville Jaguars to potentially reach the playoffs after their impressive win over the Dallas Cowboys.
While they suffered a frustrating loss to the Chargers, the Titans defence will be particularly proud of one moment. The box score says Tennessee’s safety Joshua Kalu intercepted Herbert in the closing stages of the first half, but it was far more impressive.
On second down and 10 at the Titans’ 25-yard line, Herbert looked to throw deep down the left for Mike Williams to give his team a lead of over a touchdown entering the halfway point. However, the ball was overthrown and heading out of bounds.
Other players considered the play over, but cornerback Roger McCreary leapt out of bounds to intercept the ball. Before he touched the ground to call the play dead, McCreary spectacularly decided to flick a pass to his left to Kalu, who got his toes down in bounds to compete an end zone interception for a touchback.
If McCreary had not instinctively thrown it to Kalu, the Chargers would likely have kicked a field goal to lead 10-7, but the Titans were able to take a knee and keep the game tied going into half time. Regardless, the excellent play will be remembered as one of the best defensive highlights of the 2022 season.
Fans took to social media to praise the play, with Matt (@JuiceBox678) writing: "Not going to lie, I didn't know this was legal!" - while Rick W (@rfwtweeter) added: "Great mental awareness from the rookie there."
The win means the Chargers have moved to 8-6 and consolidated their position in the AFC playoff picture, while the Titans remain the fourth seed as they lead the division. Tennessee welcome the Houston Texans to Nissan Stadium on Christmas Eve in their next clash this Saturday.
