Unbeaten, barely

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Rob Bironas wanted a chance at redemption.

The Tennessee Titans gave it to their All-Pro kicker, who made sure their run as the NFL’s lone unbeaten team continues for another week.

Bironas kicked a 41-yard field goal with 9:36 to go in overtime that kept the Titans perfect with a 19-16 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The kicker had a chance to win in regulation, but banged a 47-yarder off the upright, prompting him to yank his facemask down in anger at himself.

“I was hoping for exactly what happened,” Bironas said. “We’d win the toss and get another shot at it. I don’t miss many, so I definitely wanted another shot at it to put us in the lead and go home with the victory, 8-0.”

The Titans (8-0) won the toss and drove 55 yards in 10 plays to give Bironas another chance. Going out on third-and-2, he swung through his fourth field goal that started the celebration as the Titans matched a franchise record by winning their 11th straight regular-season game.

“When you win eight games, you’re going to on occasion need to win some like this, and that is just what we did,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said of his team’s second game a week. “We hung in there.”

The Packers (4-4), who showed some early rust coming off their bye, tied it at 16 on Mason Crosby’s third field goal, a 38-yarder, with 5:30 left. Aaron Rodgers had plenty of time to end the Titans’ winning streak as Tennessee went three-and-out for the fourth time.

Green Bay got to the Tennessee 45, but the Titans forced Green Bay to punt the ball away with 1:49 left. The Packers never got it back even as they downed the ball at the Tennessee 8.

Kerry Collins drove the Titans downfield by going 4-of-5 for 48 yards, and Fisher ran the clock down to 4 seconds in setting up Bironas for the chance to win in regulation. He said he scraped a cleat on the ground and missed it by a yard. Green Bay’s Jarrett Bush said he scraped the ball with the tip of his glove.

“We felt good about it,” Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. “We liked the position we were in and even kicking it off to them when we lost the coin toss we expected the defense to stop them. It didn’t work out that way.”

In overtime, rookie Chris Johnson took over. He caught a 16-yarder on third-and-6, then ran 14 yards for another first down. He finished with 89 yards on 24 carries and six receptions for 72 yards more. He also scored the Titans’ only TD.

Green Bay outgained Tennessee 390-347 in total offense. The Packers also brought in a defense leading the NFL with 13 interceptions, but it was the Titans who made the big defensive plays in sacking Rodgers four times and forcing two turnovers, including Chris Hope’s interception in the end zone.