12/23 — Tennessee RB Chris Brown gets the first two carries of the new period. On the second, he plows off his right guard as tackle David Stewart blows rookie DE Mike DeVito out of the hole and lands with the ball firmly across the goal line.

Titans 7, Jets 0

Now what do the Jets have to answer with. Perhaps with newly minted Curtis Martin MVP Leon Washington on the ensuing kickoff? No, Tennessee has Neon Leon well-covered for a mere 20-yard return to the Jets 23.

The Chad Pennington hard count comes back with a vengeance when he draws several Titans offsides on second-and-8. DE Kyle Vanden Bosch is hit with the penalty. Then Thomas Jones churns for 8 yards and the first down.

That sets up Pennington's next long ball that many think he can't throw. Jerricho Cotchery, in single coverage on the skinny post, gathers in the ball at the Titans 23 — 36 yards in the air — and takes it another 12 yards to the 11.

Two plays later, the Jets complete the quick response to Tennessee's score when Pennington scrambles to his right and throws a ball into the end zone, just over LB David Thornton's outstretched hand and just past the coverage of CB Michael Griffin, finding Cotchery again, this time for the 9-yard score.

But Mike Nugent's LP Field problems continue when his extra point is blocked by Antwan Odom, who CBS analyst Randy Cross says barged right up the middle between last year's first-round picks, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. So the Green & White cannot complete the seven-point response to Chris Brown's TD and Rob Bironas' PAT.

Titans 7, Jets 6

Young beats one Jets blitz with a 14-yard completion to Justin Gage going up high vs. Darrelle Revis. But the Tennessee QB gives the ball away on the next play, also a blitz, when he overthrows rookie WR Biren Ealy and David Barrett snags the ball over his shoulder as if he is the wideout. The Jets take over at their 31 with a chance to answer the Titans' TD with two consecutive scores.

On third-and-1, RDT Albert Haynesworth pushes his way into the Jets backfield, but Pennington resourcefully has his target before Big Albert gets to him — he flicks the ball to Brad Smith over the middle and Smith dances and darts from his 31 to the Titans 31, a 29-yard gain.

On another third down, Pennington hits Chris Baker over the middle for a 17-yard gain. The Green & White offense is on the move.

Then they go backward. Clint Oldenburg, who came in at the start of this drive for Anthony Clement at RT, gives up Travis LaBoy's big rush. It's to Pennington's open side, but Chad is looking to his left and never sees LaBoy, who crushes him for a 9-yard sack. Then a pass to Baker loses a yard.

Nugent comes on for a 36-yard field goal, which he nails. But wait. Referee Terry McAulay's crew calls Tony Brown for boosting himself up on the backs of his lineman — that's leveraging. The Jets take the penalty and take points off the board, but it's first-and-goal at the 9.

But the Tennessee defense has been bottling up Jones well, and they do again on the first two carries after the penalty, giving the Jets a third-and-goal at the 8 as the two-minute warning for the first half arrives.

And here is Exhibit A for why many coaches and fans say you shouldn't take points off the board. Pennington tries to hit Smith in the back of the end zone, but Smith is well-covered, and LB Keith Bulluck leaps up for the pick in the middle of the EZ.

But the Jets get another life. Vince Young is under blitz pressure at midfield. He seems more concerned with 25 coming toward him and doesn't even feel the mirror image coming from behind — No. 52, rookie LB David Harris, crushes Young, forcing the second fumble of his young career, with Dewayne Robertson pouncing on the ball for the guests' second takeaway of the first half.

Pennington is on a hot streak with 16 passes that haven't hit the ground (14 completed to his teammates, two to the Titans). But on third-and-10 from the 33, he has Brad Smith downfield but Smith can't gather it in when he gets hammered by Reynaldo Hill.

On comes Nugent again, this time for a 51-yard try. James Dearth's snap is low but new holder Jeremy Kapinos does a nice job of saving it and teeing it up. But Nugent's kicking woes at LP Field continue when he badly mis-hits the ball. Nugent has now missed five of his eight placements in Nashville the last two years (1-for-4 on FGs, 2-for-4 on PATs).

The Titans run out the clock, with Young kneeling on the last play when the Jets drop back into a 3-8 alignment. Many missed opportunities for the Green & White in the first half — a familiar refrain — and yet they're very much in the game with the home team that can clinch a playoff berth with wins in its last two games.