Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It’s a cursed moment. It cursed the franchise. It was the beginning of the end of one of the most memorable eras of Titans football.
I get it, jeez. But, you know what? Shut up. This was cool and you know it.
And it's No. 11 on The Tennessean's list of Tennessee Titans' best moments.
Late in the third quarter on Dec. 21, 2008 at LP Field, with home-field advantage in the 2008 AFC playoffs on the line, the Tennessee Titans trailed the Pittsburgh Steelers 14-10. But a brilliant pass by quarterback Kerry Collins on third-and-long, a shifty 21-yard touchdown run by Chris Johnson on 4th-and-1, a Michael Griffin interception and a 1-yard LenDale White touchdown turned things around to give the Titans a 24-14 lead late.
The Steelers are trying to come back late, but time is running out. QB Ben Roethlisberger gets Pittsburgh into Tennessee territory but Griffin gets the best of Roethlisberger again and intercepts a pass intended for Hines Ward, returning it 83 yards for a game-cinching touchdown.
With the win, the Titans home-field advantage for the first time since 2000. It’s the peak moment from one of the peak seasons in franchise history, wherein Collins and the offense put up more yards against the Steelers’ defense than any team that year until the Super Bowl, and the Titans defense logged five sacks and forced four turnovers without star linemen Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth.
But, of course, the real memory is of White, tight end Bo Scaife and linebacker Keith Bulluck stomping on the Steelers’ famed “Terrible Towel” after Griffin’s touchdown. The taunt wasn’t received well, and the Titans went on to lose their next eight games spilling into the next season, including a playoff game against Baltimore in Nashville.
Let’s not let the circumstances that followed tarnish the moment, though. The Titans played their way to the top of the football world that afternoon, and the celebration felt earned. Anyway, the Titans have been back to the playoffs four times since the incident. The Steelers are on as long of a streak now without a playoff win as the Titans were in the years following the towel stomping.
It’s safe to say that particular curse no longer applies to the Tennessee Titans. If there are others at work, it’s certainly no longer this moment’s fault.
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: Remember the 'Terrible Towel' stomp