Faith and Titans

The Titans won again. I should give in and enjoy the season. It feels a little like 2008 in that there isn't a group of elite teams so anyone could jump up and win the championship. I haven't been able to fully enjoy the victories yet. Am I pulling the typical "I don't think I deserve this" emotional crap?

Sunday had to be the best win of the year. The Eagles had just put a beat-down on Atlanta, who was considered to be the top team in the NFC. The Titans were coming off a dominating win over the Jaguars that showed which team was the contender and which was the pretender. Kevin Kolb was on fire, but he wouldn't have DeSean Jackson. The Titans would start Kerry Collins, which clearly affected the run game.

Early on, Collins looked like he was trying to throw the game. He threw two interceptions and missed open receivers. In the middle of the second quarter he found Kenny Britt for a touchdown, but through the second and third quarters the Eagles looked like the superior team. Chris Johnson had some holes to run through in the first half but in the second he was completely ineffective.

There were two turning points. The first was when the Eagles had the ball inside the Titan ten-yard line, about to score a touchdown in the end zone near where my parents sit and many Eagles fans were in their various shades of green. Jason Jones came in unblocked and disrupted the hand off. It has to be one of the top five defensive plays of the year in terms of impact.

After the Eagles took another nine-point lead in the fourth quarter, the game seemed over. Then Collins discovered Kenny Britt. I missed the 80-yard TD because I was flipping to the Red Zone. I was shocked. The disbelief continued when they took the lead on a field goal, and on the following drive Collins looked left, then found Britt down the middle. Kenny Britt of the pathetic Titan pass offense just put up the best fantasy wide receiver day of the year. Moreover, a late field goal and final play pick six made the score 37-19. It looked like a blowout but was another Titan close game special.

I'm not used to this. For the entire 2008 season I waited for the bubble to burst and was not disappointed at the result. Last year's strong second half was fun but was destined to end poorly. This year, I'm not sure. I feel like it's going to end up in a showdown with the Steelers, Ravens, Jets, or Patriots. Can I believe in my team this time?