NASHVILLE, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Sparked by a dominant second-half defensive performance and a two-yard touchdown run by Eddie George with 3:09 remaining Sunday, the Tennessee Titans pulled out a dramatic, 27-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Coming off a disappointing 7-9 season, the 2002 campaign started with another nightmare for the Titans when star defensive end Jevon Kearse suffered a broken bone in his left foot on the second play from scrimmage.
"We finished this game," Titans quarterback Steve McNair said. "We didn't finish a lot of games last year."
Without Kearse, the Titans struggled to contain Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb, who threw for three touchdowns in the first half as the Eagles raced to a 24-10 lead. McNabb was 14 of 24 for 183 yards in the opening half.
With with Kearse's replacement Carlos Hall leading the way, the Titans shut down McNabb in the second half.
Hall manhandled left tackle and former Titan Jon Runyan. Hall finished with three sacks, seven tackles and forced a fumble with just over a minute remaining to seal the victory.
Tennessee sacked McNabb six times overall, their best total since getting seven against Cleveland in November 1999.
"We knew with the number of guys they were bringing we had to get rid of the ball quick," McNabb said.
George capped the comeback with his touchdown run with just over three minutes left, giving the Titans a 27-24 lead.
McNabb and the Eagles got the ball back twice in the final minutes but failed to manage a first down. McNabb went four of 13 in the second half for 28 yards, was intercepted twice and lost a fumble.
After producing 183 yards in the first half, the Eagles managed just 78 the rest of the way while hurting themselves at critical times.
"This goes on my shoulders," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "This was my fault. I take full responsibility for it. I need to do to a better job of being more aggressive in the second half and putting the players in better position and that's what I'll do."
The Titans began mounting their comeback in third, getting the only points of the quarter on Joe Nedney's 47-yard field goal.
Early in the fourth, Tennessee got in position to get closer thanks to former Titan Blaine Bishop, who committed an interference penalty that moved the Titans to the Eagles' 20.
Five plays later, McNair found Justin McCareins for a two-yard touchdown pass, pulling the Titans within 24-19 with 12:49 remaining.
After another big stand from their defense, the Titans went ahead for good with McNair making big plays along the way on a 14-play, 84-yard drive.
It looked like the Titans' eventual winning drive would never get going. Faced with a third and 19 at his own 31, McNair found Derrick Mason across the middle for 39 yards to move the ball to the Philadelphia 39.
McNair clearly outplayed McNabb, finishing 24 of 34 for 269 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
George culminated the drive, going around right end for his two-yard score to give the Titans the lead.
Trying to rebound from a disappointing 2001 season, George finished with just 42 yards on 18 carries. He also had a 14-yard touchdown catch in the opening quarter.
Losing two-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter in free agency and with defensive tackle Hollis Thomas out for the season, the Eagles surrendered their most points in a game since the 2000 season. The Eagles did make some big defensive plays as they forced three turnovers and got another on special teams.
After George's touchdown catch opened the scoring, the Eagles made a big play on special teams when John Simon fumbled a punt and Brian Mitchell recovered at the Tennessee six.
Two plays later, McNabb found James Thrash over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown pass.
On the ensuing kickoff, Eagles coach Andy Reid called a successful onsides kick, giving his club another possession.
McNabb quickly engineered a six-play, 61-yard drive. He capped the march with a shovel pass to Duce Staley, who scored from seven yards to make it 14-7.
After Nedney kicked a 33-yard field goal early in the second, the Eagles added to their lead when McNabb led an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
McNabb made a big play on the march, finding recent acquistion Antonio Freeman with a 31-yard pass on third and 16 to the Tennessee 13. He capped the drive by finding tight end Chad Lewis over the middle for a seven-yard touchdown, making it 21-10 with 5:05 to play in the half.
The Eagles came up with a big defensive play in the waning moments of the half when end Hugh Douglas drilled running back Robert Holcombe, who fumbled. Linebacker Shawn Barber recovered at the Titans' 30.
Philadelphia turned the miscue into points when David Akers kicked a 30-yard field goal with 52 seconds left in the half, making it 24-10.
