Due in large part to injuries throughout their defense, the Tennessee Titans have not been great against the pass this season. The Titans came into Week 15’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers having allowed 25 touchdowns to just eight interceptions, 3,928 passing yards, and an opponent passer rating of 97.2. All of those stats rank among the fourth-worst in the NFL, and it’s a big reason the Titans are 7-6 with a three-game losing streak coming into the Chargers game.
So, with 12 seconds left in the first half, and the score tied, 7-7, Titans cornerback Roger McCreary decided to do something you rarely, if ever, see. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert tried to hit receiver Mike Williams in the end zone, but McCreary caught the ball as he was going out of bounds, and while he was in the air, handed the ball to cornerback Joshua Kalu.
INSANE TITANS INTERCEPTION pic.twitter.com/ysA4vBA5aZ
— Alex 👋 (@Dubs408) December 18, 2022
Insane, indeed. Not that the Titans were able to capitalize on that play with any points, but if they’re able to break that losing streak, that play will be a big deal by the score it possibly prevented.
At halftime, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel raved about the play to CBS’ Amanda Renner, and referred to another deflection McCreary had last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This time, the deflected pass went right into the hands of Jaguars receiver Zay Jones for a 20-yard touchdown.
Safe to say, McCreary learned from the experience: Bat the ball to one of your own guys!