12/23 — Tennessee fans and no doubt the Titans themselves are already fired up before Mike Nugent's opening kickoff, since the Bengals have held off the Browns, 19-14. That leaves open the door for the Titans to beat the Jets and catch the Browns at 9-6 in the fight for the AFC's last wild card.

The Titans open up with fire on offense, moving to the Jets 37. But then Vince Young bogs down, and on third down is marked in the grasp of Victor Hobson for a sack as he throws a pass wildly in the air. Tennessee punts.

Chad Pennington is indeed the starter at QB and Will Montgomery is the starter at LG for the deactivated Adrien Clarke. Pennington's first two plays are completions, but of only 5 yards to Leon Washington on a swing and 0 yards to Brad Smith on a slip screen. Then Chad finds Jerricho Cotchery, who spins away from CB Eric King for 22 yards and the third-down conversion.

Thomas Jones fumbles, the ball squirts backward, and TJ falls on it but for a 10-yard loss on the play. That leads to Jeremy Kapinos' first pro punt in place of Ben Graham. It looks fine, except it hits in the end zone for a touchback.

The Jets stop the Titans on four plays on their second drive, and at the end of the third down play, a Vince Young scramble, Young walks off in pain and DE-LB Shaun Ellis gets into a brief shoving match with T David Stewart.

The Jets get pinned at their 5 on a punt by Craig Hentrich — who a long time ago now was a Jets draft choice — and a hold on the return. A three-and-out, Kapinos' second punt (not a boomer with a 4.1-second hangtime) and the Titans are back in business at their own 46.

Young is back at QB. His first play is a pass that is swatted down by NT Sione Pouha. Then LenDale White gains 6 to clear 1,000 for the first time in his career. Then Eric Moulds, the old Jet-killer when he was with the Bills, snags Young's throw over the middle for 12 yards and a third-down conversion to the Jets 36.

Young then avoids two disasters, a fumbled shotgun snap by new C Eugene Amano that the QB unloads under heat from Bryan Thomas, then a third-down spinaway from a Kerry Rhodes blindside blitz for another throwaway. Hentrich's next punt barely gets into the end zone so the Jets are back at their 20.

Robert Turner comes into the game at LG, signaling a new rotation at the position with Will Montgomery.

Pennington's first pass appears to be a big gainer as Jerricho Cotchery gets past backup LCB Reynaldo Hill, but the pass is underthrown, Hill makes a nice play and the interception sets up the Titans again with great field position at the Jets 40. Then Young and Justin Gage hook up with Gage beating Hank Poteat to the ball, and as the quarter ends the hosts are poised at the visitors' 7-yard line to put the first dent into the scoreboard.