NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Titans know good teams win ugly games, and being 2-0 for the first time in 12 years has a way of making any victory look much prettier.
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 49-yard field goal with 1:36 left as the Titans remain undefeated by holding off the Jacksonville Jaguars, 33-30 on Sunday in Tennessee's AFC South Division opener and first game this season at Nissan Stadium.
"To get a chance to win at the end of the game, that's what you practice for," said Gostkowski, who had a winning kick for the second time in as many games with the Titans. The former New England Patriots star made a 25-yarder last Monday night at Denver as the Titans beat the Broncos 16-14.
"Luckily we were able to come through today," the 36-year-old kicker said. "It's exciting to get the win and get the Titans to 2-0."
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 18-of-24 for 239 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, and he was sacked just once. It was up to Gostkowski, though, to provide the final points after the Jaguars scored 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Gostkowski also made a 51-yarder at the end of the first half, but he hit the left upright to miss the extra-point try after Tannehill's fourth touchdown pass.
"It was a tough kick in a crucial point in the game," Tannehill said of the winner, "and had nothing but confidence he was going to bang it through, and that's exactly what he did."
With 47 seconds left, Jacksonville quarterback Gardner Minshew's pass was deflected by Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmon, and Harold Landry III grabbed the ball out of the air to seal the victory.
AP photo by Wade Payne / Tennessee Titans free safety Kevin Byard (31) celebrates after teammate Harold Landry intercepted a pass to stop the Jacksonville Jaguars on their final possession during Sunday's game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.This is the Titans' first 2-0 start since 2008, the most recent season they won the division. They also won their seventh straight series meeting with Jacksonville in Nashville - despite nearly blowing a 24-10 halftime lead.
"Excited to be 2-0 for the first time here in Tennessee," third-year Titans coach Mike Vrabel said.
The Titans sacked Minshew two times and picked him off twice.
"That last one sucks," Minshew said. "Ball got tipped up in the air. Just a bad way to lose."
Minshew was 30-for-45 passing for 339 yards and three touchdowns, with his final two coming in the fourth quarter as he tried to rally the Jaguars (1-1). His final touchdown pass, a 14-yarder to Chris Thompson, tied it at 30 with 7:25 left as the visitors tried to snap their Music City skid.
The Jaguars outgained Tennessee 480-354 in total yards, but coach Doug Marrone said they just weren't able to make the play to get them over the top on the scoreboard at the end.
"These guys are going to continue to get better," said Marrone, whose team also fell to 1-1 in the division, having rallied to upset the Indianapolis Colts a week earlier in Jacksonville. "I don't want to say growing pains because I really feel like those guys can do it. There may be plays they lose, but that's football."
The Jaguars struggled in the kicking game. They tried a squib with 12 seconds left in the first half that the Titans easily recovered. Two plays later, Gostkowski made it a 24-10 halftime lead. Then rookie Chris Claybrooks, a Nashville native, fumbled the opening kick of the second half.
The Jaguars revamped their defense to defend better against Derrick Henry, the 2019 NFL rushing leader who had run for 498 yards against them since the start of the 2018 season - his most against any AFC South team. They held him to 84 yards on 25 carries this time, so the Titans turned to Tannehill, who went from backup to starter during the 2019 season and led the NFL with a 117.5 passer rating on his way to being named the comeback player of the year.
Tannehill opened the game by finding tight end Jonnu Smith wide open for 63 yards before hitting Smith for a 13-yard touchdown two plays later. Tannehill added a 9-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis on the next drive, threw a 4-yarder to Smith late in the first half and tossed an 18-yarder to Adam Humphries in the third quarter.
It was his 10th straight game with at least two touchdown passes, breaking the record he shared with Marcus Mariota, the starter he replaced last year. Mariota set the mark in 2016. This also was the third game of Tannehill's NFL career with four touchdown passes but first since Oct. 25, 2015, in a win for the Miami Dolphins over the Houston Texans.
Tannehill also leads the NFL since the seventh week of last season with 10 straight games with at least two touchdowns and no interceptions. Reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and prolific New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees went into the second week of the season with six such games.
"He was on fire," Henry said. "He did a great job in the red zone. It's just what he does."