Tennessee Titans' best moments: Joe Nedney hits game-winning FG in NFL playoffs vs Steelers
Which is why it's a real good thing I wasn't at The Coliseum on Jan. 11, 2003.
AFC Divisional playoffs.
Here is where we find No. 23 on The Tennessean's best Tennessee Titans' moments. The newspaper is counting down from No. 25 to No. 1.
The Titans are hosting the Pittsburg Steelers in a playoff rivalry that predates the Titans name, and it has been awfully one-sided. The Steelers are 4-0 against the organization in playoff matchups, including conference championship wins in 1978 and 1979 that kept the Houston Oilers out of the Super Bowl.
This time, though, the Titans are the home team, in possession of the better record and coming off a first-round bye. After the Titans built an early 14-0 lead, the Steelers responded with 20 unanswered points. The Titans scored 14 more to go back up eight. The Steelers scored 11 more to go back up three. Titans kicker Joe Nedney ties the score with 5:45 left, but misses a 47-yard kick as time expires to force overtime.
The Titans get the ball first in overtime, and quarterback Steve McNair relies on his hookup with receiver Justin McCareins, completing passes of 31 and 22 yards to set up Nedney again. He kicks from 31 yards. It's good. Jubilation. Cue the fireworks!
Until . . . the refs granted Pittsburgh a timeout. With the smoke from the fireworks still settling above the Cumberland River, Nedney had to line up for another try: 31 yards. Kick is up. Wiiiiiiiiide right. No good. The opposite of jubilation. Don't even think about the fireworks.
Until . . . the refs flagged Pittsburgh's Dewayne Washington for running into the kicker. Nedney gets a third try. This time from 26 yards. Snap. Hold. Hammered straight through. No flags. No laundry. Someone check if there are any more fireworks.
More: Meet our 10 best Tennessee Titans defensive players in franchise history
More: Meet our 10 best Tennessee Titans offensive players in franchise history
One week later, coach Bill Callahan's Raiders proved too much for the Titans in the AFC Championship, and a return trip to the Super Bowl wasn't in the cards. But for more than two decades now, the Titans have been on a one-game playoff winning streak against the Steelers. If that's not fireworks-worthy, I don't know what is.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans best moments: Joe Nedney's game-winning FG vs Steelers
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