OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Tennessee Titans throttled the Oakland Raiders 42-21 on Sunday for their fourth consecutive victory, improving to 8-5 and setting them up for a showdown at home against the Houston Texans (8-5) for first place in the AFC South.
The Texans will look to rebound from a loss to the Denver Broncos when they visit the Titans next Sunday.
Ryan Tannehill was on point against the Raiders on Sunday, finishing with 391 passing yards and three touchdowns. His work within the pocket was impressive. The best throw was a 91-yard touchdown strike to A.J. Brown off of play-action. The pass rush was closing in on Tannehill, but he hung in and made a perfect throw, giving Brown room to run under it and haul it in.
"I'll take that hit every time to throw a 91-yard touchdown. That was pretty cool. It was a play we talked about this week. We made an adjustment late in the week, but to go out and execute it was great. A.J. ran a great route. To have A.J. not only catch it but finish it off was huge," Tannehill said.
Tannehill also delivered a number of tight-window throws. One went to Brown on third-and-13 and resulted in a 16-yard touchdown.
"When we get that call we know it's man-to-man defense. So the key is just being able to beat our man," Brown said of his success on routes like the one he caught for his second touchdown. "Whenever I get the ball in my hands it's a thrill."
The way Brown has been able to pick up yards after the catch impressed the Titans' coaching staff. "He's got great play strength, plays through the catch," coach Mike Vrabel said of Brown.
Rookie wide receiver Brown has been the primary beneficiary of Tannehill's hot streak. Brown has 779 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions this season, with 506 yards and four scores coming from Tannehill.
Running back Derrick Henry is surging, too. He finished Sunday with 18 carries for 103 yards, giving him his fourth consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing. Henry has a total of 599 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in the past four games.
Tennessee's resurgence started in Week 7 when Tannehill took over at quarterback and led the Titans to a 23-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. The Titans are 6-1 with Tannehill as their quarterback. Their red zone offense has become the best in the NFL after it was 19th (converting at a 58.3% clip) when he took over.
The 552 total yards of offense against the Raiders is the most in the Titans era of the franchise.
"We hit on all cylinders," Henry said. "I think it's just our will to finish. Us never taking our foot off the pedal. We just have to keep being explosive and executing plays."
The Titans have also now scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games. They'll look to continue the streak when they return to Nashville to face the Texans. Henry wants Nissan Stadium to be a tough environment next Sunday.
"It needs to be loud, packed and filled. It's a big-time game against a division opponent, so we hope everybody is there."