Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Ivory scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:09 remaining in the fourth quarter to lift the New York Jets to a 16-11 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Titans made it interesting and nearly came up with another Music City Miracle on the game's last play. Delanie Walker took the final lateral to the Jets' 9-yard line.
Geno Smith completed 16-of-28 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown for the Jets (3-11), who snapped a three-game losing streak.
"We'll take the victory. All the hard work in the class room and on the practice field finally paid off," said Jets head coach Rex Ryan.
Quarterback Jake Locker made his first start for the Titans (2-12) since Week 5, but left the game late in the second quarter with a left shoulder injury. Locker started because rookie Zach Mettenberger re-injured his right shoulder last week.
Charlie Whitehurst replaced Locker and was 10-of-24 for 203 yards in his first action since Week 7.
Tennessee has dropped eight in a row, the club's longest skid since the 1994 Houston Oilers lost 11 straight.
Ryan Succop nailed a 51-yard field goal to give the Titans an 11-10 lead with 2:02 left in the third quarter.
After a series of punts, the Jets marched 76 yards for the go-ahead score. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a third-down incompletion kept the drive alive. If not for the penalty, New York was looking at a three-and-out.
Chris Johnson, who spent his first six seasons with the Titans, then ran for a 37-yard gain on a direct snap, setting up a 1st-and-goal at the 4-yard line.
Smith threw incomplete on third down, but cornerback Coty Sensabaugh was flagged for pass interference. Ivory ran into the end zone on the next play.
The Jets went for two and Jeremy Kerley dropped a pass.
Succop kicked a 40-yarder to open the scoring with 3:16 remaining in the first quarter.
The Titans added to their lead when Smith was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone. Smith was initially ruled to have fumbled the ball while being dragged down by defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, with center Nick Mangold making the recovery at the New York 6-yard line. Tennessee challenged the play and it was reversed by a review.
Later in the game, Casey hit Smith in the helmet during a TV timeout, setting off a melee.
Leon Washington muffed the free kick and T.J. Graham recovered the ball for the Jets at the Tennessee 40-yard line.
New York came away with no points off the turnover as Nick Folk hit the crossbar on a 53-yard field goal attempt. Folk did make a 51-yard try with 2:08 remaining in the second quarter.
After Succop made a 33-yarder, Smith hooked up with Eric Decker for what appeared to be an 81-yard touchdown on the first play of the ensuing possession.
A brawl broke out between the teams during the review. Players were jawing at one another and Casey punched Smith.
"I love the courage, but in close games like that we got to be smart," Walker said.
The touchdown wound up being wiped out because Decker stepped out of bounds at the Tennessee 33-yard line. Casey was hit with an unnecessary roughness penalty, moving the ball to the 18. The Jets grabbed a 10-8 lead when Smith found John Conner on 4th-and-1 for a 9-yard touchdown.
Game Notes
This marked the third consecutive season in which the teams met at LP Field ... Decker had 100 yards on seven receptions ... The Jets were 2-for-13 on third down ... The Titans outgained the Jets 342-277.
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