Tennessee stomps Green Bay at home, 48-27

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 14, 2004

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Lambeau Field is now a desired destination, as Chris Brown and the Tennessee Titans were the latest to learn.

Brown rushed for 148 yards and two long touchdowns and Tennessee cruised to a 48-27 rout of the stumbling Green Bay Packers on Monday night, scoring more points than any visitor ever had at the famed stadium.

The Titans (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak and sent the Packers (1-4) to their fourth straight loss. This is Green Bay's first four-game losing streak since 1991 and their first 0-3 start at home since 1988.

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Only eight teams in NFL history have overcome a 1-4 start to reach the playoffs, including the Titans two years ago.

Tennessee scored on five of its first six possessions with Brown, who had 27 carries, going in on its first two series, from 37 and 29 yards out. Only Na'il Diggs' block of Gary Anderson's 42-yard field goal prevented the Titans from scoring the most first-half points - 28 - by an opponent in Lambeau Field's 47-year history.

The Packers' hopes for a comeback were killed by four second-half turnovers. They had six overall.

Steve McNair (chest, ankle) returned after missing Tennessee's last game, and threw two touchdown passes, including an 11-yarder to Eddie Berlin in the third quarter after Brett Favre's third interception.

Favre extended his NFL record with his 213th consecutive start, including playoffs, despite numerous injuries, including a mild concussion he suffered last week. Favre also had a heavy heart over the death last week of his 24-year-old brother-in-law in an ATV accident at the family home in Mississippi.

Both teams had lost three straight and much of the blame went to poor run defense, which showed up right away again for Green Bay as Brown carried nine times for 90 yards in the first quarter - and the early deficit altered Green Bay's plan to give the Titans a steady diet of Ahman Green.

The Packers had just 5 yards rushing on five carries in the first half.

Packers cornerbacks Michael Hawthorne and Ahmad Carroll made the crowd miss the traded Mike McKenzie right away.

Hawthorne capped a poor first series by missing the tackle on Brown's 37-yard touchdown run and Carroll, the Packers' top draft pick, who was coming back from a groin injury that sidelined him for three weeks, was targeted aplenty whenever he got onto the field.

Brown made it 14-0 with a 29-yard scamper to beat the blitz on the Titans' second possession, after which Packers coach Mike Sherman chewed out his defenders on the sideline.

But soon his wrath was focused on Green.

The Packers' fumble-prone running back coughed up the ball at the Packers' 34 with nose tackle Kevin Carter recovering for Tennessee. Green, whose habit of always carrying the ball in his left arm not only gives tacklers a true target but doesn't allow him to stiff-arm defenders, has fumbled four times this season.

Anderson converted Green's gaffe into a 36-yard field goal that made it 17-0 with 6 minutes left in the first quarter. At that point, the Titans had outgained the Packers 145 yards to 4.

After Sherman successfully challenged an interception by Samari Rolle in the end zone, Ryan Longwell's 39-yard field goal made it 17-3.

The Titans responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive to make it 24-3 on fullback Troy Fleming's 14-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter.

Favre completed all five of his passes for 70 yards, capping the drive with a 1-yard toss to tight end Bubba Franks that made it 24-10 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half.

After Anderson was good from 38 but missed from 42, Longwell's 53-yard field goal with 2 seconds before halftime made it 27-13.

Favre was picked off twice by Lamont Thompson, whose second interception set up McNair's 11-yard touchdown strike to Berlin that made it 34-13 in the third quarter.

Antonio Chatman's muffed punt was recovered by Tennessee's Darrell Hill at the Green Bay 23, leading to wide receiver Drew Bennett's 26-yard touchdown toss to Derrick Mason for a 41-13 lead in the fourth quarter. Thompson also forced a fumble.

Anderson's kick following Antowain Smith's 15-yard touchdown run with 2:34 left made it 48-20 and broke the record for visiting points that Washington set in a 48-47 loss at Green Bay in 1983.

Packers' backup quarterback Craig Nall threw his first career touchdown pass on a 1-yarder to Javon Walker with a minute left.

The 48 points were the most allowed by Green Bay at home since Detroit's 52-17 win at old City Stadium in 1952.