Week 1: Tennessee Titans 15, New Orleans Saints 16
Sunday, September 10th, 2023 | 12:00pm CT | Caesars Superdome
Nashville, TN – In Week 1 of the 2023 season, the Tennessee Titans traveled to the New Orleans Saints to face the Saints and fell by a score of 16-15. It was a game of field goals before the Saints scored the only touchdown of the day to take the lead and the win.
The Titans took a 3-0 lead on the first possession of the game off a 50-yard field goal from K Nick Folk. Titans were able to gain possession to set up the score after S Amani Hooker forced and recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff.
The Saints responded with a field goal of their own from K Balke Grupe after stringing together a nine-play 67-yard drive to tie it at 3-3.
The Titans then turned in an 11-play, 66-yard drive that ended with another field goal by Folk, this one from 27 yards, and it was 6-3 Tennessee at the 3:07 mark of the first quarter.
After another Grupe field goal made it 6-6 midway through the second quarter, Folk added his third field goal of the game, a 31-yard kick, making it 9-6 Titans with 1:40 remaining in the first half. The seven-play 57-yard field goal drive was highlighted by a 46-yard gain by RB Derrick Henry off a screen pass from QB Ryan Tannehill.
The Tennessee Titans held a 9-6 lead going into halftime after Hooker came up with his second takeaway of the day after intercepting QB Derek Carr with 37 seconds remaining in the half.
S Marcus Maye intercepted Tannehill on the opening drive of the second half at the New Orleans one-yard line. The New Orleans Saints drove down and settled for another filed goal by Grupe to tie it 9-9.
Later in the third quarter, the Saints made the Titans pay after Tannehill’s third interception of the game, as Carr connected with WR Rashid Shaheed for a 19-yard touchdown pass to make it 16-9 with 1:23 left to play in the stanza.
The Tennessee Titans then put together a 12-play 48-yard drive, highlighted by three first-down completions from Tannehill, which culminated in a 45-yard field goal by Folk to make it 16-12.
