2025 Tennessee Titans–Arizona Cardinals game

On October 5th, 2025, the Tennessee Titans would travel to Glendale, Arizona to play the Arizona Cardinals in week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. The visiting Titans would fall behind 21–3 in the second quarter, but off a lost fumble at the goal line by Cardinals running back Emari Demercado and a interception-turned fumble touchdown, the Titans would come from behind to win 22–21 off a walk-off field goal by Joey Slye. The game snapped what was a 10-game losing streak for the Titans dating back to the season before, and their first win of the 2025 season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals fell to 2–3, and would not win another game until they played the Dallas Cowboys in week 9.

Background

Tennessee Titans

In 2024, the Titans finished with a 3–14 record, tied with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns for the worst records in the NFL that season and their worst record since 2014. Due to tiebreakers, the Titans got the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, which they used to select Miami quarterback Cam Ward. They also made some moves during free agency, including signing former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (who had been cut by Seattle at the start of the offseason), and linebacker Kyzir White, who had coincidentally been with the Cardinals the last two seasons. Entering the matchup, the Titans had failed to win a single game, including a 26–0 loss to their division rival Houston Texans just the last week. This also included a ten game losing streak dating back to the last season.

Arizona Cardinals

In 2024, the Cardinals finished better than the Titans, finishing the season 8–9, a massive improvement on 2022 and 2023, where they finished 4–13 in both seasons. A signature move came in the offseason where they signed former Eagles defensive lineman and Super Bowl LIX champion Josh Sweat. Coming into the game, the Cardinals got off to a nice start, starting the year 2–0, beating both the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers respectively. Coincidentally, the Cardinals nearly squandered a lead to the Panthers as well, as they were up 27–3 and barely won 27–22. They then lost their last two games to both the 49ers and the Seahawks coming into this matchup with Tennessee.

Game summary

First half

The Cardinals would receive the football first. After a 43-yard touchdown from quarterback Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr. was overturned, the Cardinals would score their first touchdown of the game with a touchdown run by Michael Carter. The Titans would respond with a field goal to make it 7–3. On the next drive, the Cardinals would score again with Murray scrambling 12 yards for a touchdown to make it 14–3 to end the first quarter. After both teams traded punts to start the second quarter, Titans running back Tony Pollard would fumble the ball deep in Titans territory that was recovered by Cardinals linebacker Baron Browning.

The Cardinals would score again on the next drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Zonovan Knight. After a 65-yard kickoff return by Chimere Dike, the Titans would then kick a 51-yard field goal to make it 21–6. Both teams would then trade punts as well as a turnover on downs by the Titans with 54 seconds left in the second quarter.

Second half

The Titans would receive the ball to start the second half. After another punt by the Titans, the Cardinals would drive deep into Tennessee territory. After a 7-yard pass to Elijah Higgins, Kyler Murray would line up to take the snap, but it was a high snap and the ball bounced off Murray's facemask, by rule causing a fumble that was recovered by the Titans. However, both teams would trade punts again. After yet another punt by the Titans, the Cardinals got the ball to start the fourth quarter.

Emari Demercado fumble

After a short run by Michael Carter, Emari Demercado would take the ball, find an open hole and break free for a 72-yard run into the end zone for what looked like a touchdown. However, he dropped the ball shortly before crossing the goal line, resulting in a fumble, and since it bounced into the end zone for a touchback, the Titans got the ball. After the fumble, the Titans drove down the field and finally scored their first touchdown of the game with a Tony Pollard touchdown run. However, a missed extra point only made it 21–12. The Titans defense then held the Cardinals to a punt on the next drive, giving them the ball back with 8:53 to go in the game.

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson interception-turned fumble touchdown

After the Titans got the ball back, they drove down the field again, chewing most of the time off the clock before finding themselves at the Arizona 28-yard line with 4:55 left. Cam Ward took the snap and found himself under pressure before throwing a pass towards the end zone that was tipped by Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson and intercepted by Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. However, upon hitting the ground, Taylor-Demerson lost control of the ball, and due to not being down by contact, fumbled it, before the ball bounced backwards and then kicked into the end zone by a Cardinals player, which was recovered by Tyler Lockett for a touchdown. With the ensuing extra point, the Titans made it 21–19.

End of the game

After the fumble for a touchdown, the Titans defense held once again, forcing the Cardinals to punt after the 2 minute warning. After a 16-yard pass to Chigozeim Okonkwo, Ward threw a deep ball to Calvin Ridley, setting the Titans up at the Arizona 15-yard line. After the pass to Ridley, Tony Pollard then ran for a first down at the Cardinals 5-yard line. The Titans then chewed the clock out by running the ball, forcing the Cardinals to use all three timeouts. With 3 seconds left, the Titans sent out kicker Joey Slye for a 29-yard kick, and the kick was good, giving the Titans a 22–21 comeback win.

Aftermath

The win for the Titans ended what was a 10-game losing streak for the team dating back to the season before. As for the Cardinals, this game continued their losing streak from the last two weeks, dropping them to 2–3 and they would not win another game until they defeated the Dallas Cowboys in week 9. Kyler Murray after the game was quoted to saying, "That was 'How to lose a game 101.' That was crazy." Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. stated, "Finish, finish, finish. At the end of the day, why we do we have to be close? That's the thing we are allowing to happen." Titans head coach Brian Callahan stated, “Things just have to go your way sometimes. We haven't had a lot of that so far this year, haven't had a lot of bounces in our favor, and sometimes you need that.” Cam Ward stated after the game, “I wish I had started better. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you start, it's how you finish.”

Emari Demercado blamed himself for his costly fumble, stating, “I just made a mistake. There’s really no excuse. Just let the ball go through…I just got to be smarter.” Shortly after the game, a video surfaced on the internet of Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon hitting Demercado after the goal line fumble. The video showed Demercado being consulted by Paris Johnson Jr. before Gannon walked up to Demercado and he yelled in his ear, before slapping Demercado across the chest and punching him in the shoulder pads before walking off and throwing his headset. The Cardinals then fined Gannon $100,000 for the altercation. The following day, Gannon apologized to Demercado and the Cardinals team during a meeting, stating, "I woke up this morning and didn't feel great about it, honestly, so in the team meeting I addressed it, I apologized to Emari, apologized to the team. I just told them I let the moment of what happened get the better of me."

The Titans would then go on another losing streak afterwards, falling to 1–10 by week 13, where as the Cardinals were 3–8 by that span.

See also

• 2006 Chicago Bears–Arizona Cardinals game
• 2022 Indianapolis Colts–Minnesota Vikings game
• Super Bowl LI
• Monday Night Miracle
• The Fumble
• Music City Miracle