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National Football League
Tennessee 23, Tampa Bay 17
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 27, 2011
Where: LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
Temperature: 47°
Head Official: Bill Leavy
Attendance: 69143

Chris Johnson ran for a season-high 190 yards, Matt Hasselbeck threw a 2-yard touchdown to Damian Williams on fourth-and-goal and the Tennessee Titans held on for a 23-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Rookie Tommie Campbell returned a kickoff 84 yards and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Titans (6-5), who needed a win to stay within striking distance of Houston (8-3) in the AFC South.

The Buccaneers (4-7), meanwhile, have lost five straight and are all but out of playoff contention in the NFC.

Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman nearly pulled off his ninth-career fourth-quarter comeback, but he fumbled on fourth-and-short at the Titans’ 25-yard line and Tennessee ran out the clock. It was fitting that the game ended with a fumble on a day when rainy conditions led to a combined nine turnovers.

In the end, the Titans finally got a return on their investment from Johnson, who has struggled since signing a four-year, $54 million deal.

After rushing for just 13 yards on 12 carries in last week's loss to Atlanta, Johnson finally looked like a former 2,000-yard rusher. His 34-yard run to the Buccaneers’ 41-yard line was one of the biggest plays of the game.

Tennessee then drove to the 2-yard line before Hasselbeck hit Williams in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead score. Hasselbeck, who was playing with elbow and forearm injuries suffered last week, redeemed himself for a previous mistake that allowed Tampa Bay to take the lead.

Aqib Talib stepped in front of Hasselbeck's pass and returned it 27 yards for a score, giving the Buccaneers a 17-10 lead early in the fourth.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Tampa Bay   Tennessee
LeGarrette Blount Player Chris Johnson
20 Attempts 23
103 Yards 190
5.2 Avg Yards 8.3
0 Touchdowns 0
16 Long 34
Receiving
Tampa Bay   Tennessee
Mike Williams Player Lavelle Hawkins
6 Receptions 5
84 Yards 51
14.0 Avg Yards 10.2
1 Touchdowns 0
23 Long 17
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Tampa Bay 308 122 186 2 1 2 1.0 2
Tennessee 352 202 150 2 3 1 2.0 4
Upcoming Games
  • Tennessee will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Titans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Buccaneers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.