NFL Wembley: Los Angeles Chargers survive Tennessee Titans comeback
The Chargers survived an almighty scare to beat the Titans at Wembley
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As Al Pacino so famously said football is a game of inches and so it proved here as the Tennessee Titans were denied not once but twice by the smallest of margins.
If the Los Angeles Chargers do finally make it over the hump this season they will look back at this one and say this was where it was won and the ghosts of old were finally laid to rest. The Chargers of old lose this game, make no mistake, and when Marcus Mariota's outstretched arm appeared to break the plane of the end zone with just seconds to play to tie it all up they must have thought it wasn't to be once more.
They must have thought it wasn't to be seconds later too, after Mariota did get the Titans in a play later. But when the two-point conversion failed as Mariota failed to find a receiver in the end zone they could finally breathe and celebrate a game that should've been won long before.
Time of possession would be a theme throughout the afternoon with the Titans opening up with an 11-play, five minute 16 second drive that stuttered in the red zone. It took Rivers only one play and nine first-half seconds to answer, finding a streaking Tyrell Williams down the left sideline to put the Chargers on top.
LA's only two losses on the season have come against the league's two best teams and with their quarterback continuing to play at an MVP level they figure to be right in the mix come January.
Their defence, touted as a strength for much of the offseason, has been unable to keep pace with their high-powered offense thus far though and the Titans, who didn't even have a breath of a running game last time out against the Ravens, got going early and often with Dion Lewis in particular a threat both on the ground and out of the backfield.
Mariota, a whole lot safer in the pocket this week after getting battered around by Baltimore seven days ago, used his legs to keep LA's fearsome front honest and looked to be taking Tennessee in only one behind only to throw a costly pick on the doorstep of the end zone with only seconds left of the first.
The interception, his first in the red zone in his career, could scarcely have been poorer timed and gave the Chargers all the impetus they needed after the interval. Give Rivers even a sniff and he's going to go deep. Blow a coverage entirely and he will make you pay for six. For the second time in the game the Titans back end got lost in coverage and Mike Williams this time profited hauling a 55-yard bomb to pull LA further clear.
It would've been easy for Tennessee to falter but, credit where credit is due, they returned renewed. Afforded great field position via penalty Mariota guided his team deep into the red zone once more, this time choosing to hand the ball off to Derrick Henry to plough in untouched.
This Charger team is characterised by its quickfire offense but Rivers knows that won't always get it done. This time it was LA's turn to chew some clock and eat they did advancing deep into Titans territory allowing Michael Badgley a chip shot to extend the lead again all while crucially taking six further minutes off the watch.
But back the Titans came. This Tennessee team is made of stronger stuff and with destiny in their hands Mariota grabbed it, Lewis again to the fore bursting through to put them into Chargers territory on a 36-yard slash.
A further scramble and a dart to Tajae Sharpe put them within touching distance, or so they thought, as Mariota kept it stretching for the end zone only for replays to mark him down less than a yard shy. There would be no debate a play later though as Luke Stocker held on tight to pull the Titans within one.
A victor in overtime once already this season, in week four against the Philadelphia Eagles, the smart money appeared to be on Mike Vrabel opting to go the distance again but with the offense remaining on the field Mariota looked for Taywan Taylor in the back of the end zone only to fire high and wide.
So near yet so far. It's a game of inches after all.
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