Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Atlanta 10, Tennessee 7
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 25, 2015
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Temperature: 59°
Head Official: Brad Allen
Attendance: 63329

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Atlanta's defense made sure the Falcons didn't suffer an upset loss on the road Sunday.

Linebacker Paul Worrilow's second-quarter interception and safety Robenson Therezie's fourth-quarter pick helped Atlanta hold on for a 10-7 win over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.

Worrilow's interception came with 4 seconds left in the first half and Therezie's with 1:35 remaining in the game.

"I loved the way we finished at the halves," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. "Those are exactly the types of finishes we want for our defense at the end of a half, where we can close out a game and that's what we want to stand for."

The Falcons (6-1) rebounded from their first loss of the season against New Orleans.

Tennessee (1-5), which hasn't won a home game since beating Jacksonville in October of last year, suffered its fifth straight loss.

Falcons back Quarterback Matt Ryan completed 22 of 38 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown.

Running back Devonta Freeman rushed for 116 yards on 25 carries for his third consecutive game with at least 100 yards. He wasn't surprised the struggling Titans kept it close.

"This is the NFL -- ain't nobody better than nobody," Freeman said. "It's just the team that pays the most attention to detail. Those are the teams that maybe win the game. Or the team with the least turnovers. I'm not surprised at all."

Zach Mettenberger started at quarterback for Tennessee in place of rookie Marcus Mariota, who suffered an MCL sprain in last week's loss to Miami. Mettenberger completed 22 of 35 passes for 187 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

"It's frustrating, for sure, but ultimately I can't let that faze me," Mettenberger said of the loss. "I've got to keep working like I know I do and it will come. It's a team effort and I obviously didn't make the plays to help the team out today."

Tennessee converted only one of nine third-down situations.

"Yeah, there were too many third-and-longs," Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "We had a couple on penalties on second down that put us in third-and-long, and we had a couple of opportunities to convert and didn't convert. Some of that goes to protection, too. You have to make sure you're protected."

Titans outside linebacker David Bass set up the game's first score when he tipped a short pass by Ryan and intercepted it at the Falcons' 19-yard line in the second quarter.

On the next play, Mettenberger threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kendall Wright, giving the Titans a 7-0 lead with 8:42 left in the first half.

Atlanta answered on its next possession as Matt Bryant's 27-yard field goal narrowed the gap to 7-3 with 2:31 left in the first half.

Tennessee missed a good scoring opportunity when it drove the Atlanta 7, but Worrilow intercepted Mettenberger's pass with 4 seconds left in the first half. Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn hit Mettenberger as he released the ill-fated pass.

Atlanta took a 10-7 lead when Ryan hit wide receiver Julio Jones with an 8-yard touchdown pass with 5:56 left in the third quarter, capping an nine-play, 88-yard drive.

Tennessee's defense made a big play when linebacker Avery Williamson intercepted Ryan's deflected pass in the end zone on fourth-and-1 with 6:30 left. The pass was intended for Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme.

One play earlier, the Titans made a goal-line stand by holding Falcons fullback Patrick DiMarco to no gain on a run up the middle at the 1. Jones' 3-yard reception from Ryan had put the ball 6 inches from the goal line.

Atlanta challenged the spot, but the officials ruled that Jones didn't break the goal-line plane after a video review.

Bryant missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with 2:28 left.

Therezie intercepted Mettenberger's final pass at the Atlanta 33 with 1:35 left to seal the win.

"I was just sticking to the quarterback," said Therezie, who also intercepted a Mettenberger pass in the preseason. "We had a zone pressure going on and I know he had to get it out real quick. I just read the quarterback and I was just right there."

NOTES: Tennessee's Delanie Walker made seven receptions to become the fifth tight end in franchise history to reach 150 career catches. ... Titans CB Jason McCourty suffered a hamstring injury late in the second quarter that sidelined him for most of the second half. ... Falcons WR Julio Jones caught a game-high nine passes for 92 yards and one TD. ... The Falcons outgained the Titans 378-256.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Atlanta   Tennessee
Devonta Freeman Player Antonio Andrews
25 Attempts 10
116 Yards 57
4.6 Avg Yards 5.7
0 Touchdowns 0
19 Long 17
Receiving
Atlanta   Tennessee
Julio Jones Player Delanie Walker
9 Receptions 7
92 Yards 55
10.2 Avg Yards 7.9
1 Touchdowns 0
21 Long 12
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Atlanta 378 127 251 1 1 2 1.0 0
Tennessee 256 77 179 1 0 2 0.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Tennessee will play their next game on the road against Houston. The Titans have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Falcons have a W/L % of .833 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.