No one took it away from Andrew Adams this time.
The veteran safety scored his first career touchdown Sunday when he returned an interception 76 yards early in the second quarter. It was the Tennessee Titans’ only touchdown in their 19-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium, the home team’s fourth straight triumph and one that put it firmly in command of the AFC South.
It was not the first time Adams got to the end zone with the ball in his hands, though.
“Actually, in 2019 – playing the Titans – I scooped up a fumble to score a touchdown, but they reviewed it and said it wasn’t a fumble,” Adams said. “Actually, (the league office) came out the next day and said it was a fumble. So, they should have let it play.
“They actually robbed me of my first touchdown – the Titans. And now, I got my first touchdown with the Titans.”
The touchdown that wasn’t a touchdown happened nearly three years earlier to the day – Oct. 27, 2019 – on the same field. With 3:45 to play, the Titans lined up for an apparent field goal attempt. Instead, they attempted a fake, and holder Brett Kern was tackled for no gain and stripped of the ball, which Adams recovered and took approximately 70 yards for an apparent go-ahead touchdown. Officials on the field, however, ruled that Kern was down before the ball came out and blew the play dead, which negated the possibility of video review.
As a result, the Buccaneers’ offense got the ball on its own 28 and failed to score. The Titans came away with a 27-23 win that day.
The time, Adams stepped in front of a pass intended for Parris Campbell and ran untouched for the score that gave his team a 10-0 lead with 9:25 to go before halftime. Quarterback Matt Ryan’s throw was affected by a blitzing Bud Dupree, who got to the quarterback untouched.
It was one of three Tennessee takeaways on the afternoon. A David Long interception on the ensuing Indianapolis possession led to a field goal, and Amani Hooker’s fumble recovery in the fourth quarter allowed the Titans offense to exhaust the final 3:22 of game time.
“I was able to get vision on Matt Ryan, and I saw him look to my right,” Adams said. “I got a good break, and I was looking at the quarterback. He kind of threw inside the receiver so I was able to get my hands on it. And the rest was history.”
Signed off the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad in Week 3, Adams may be relatively unknown to most Titans’ fans given that this was just his third appearance for the Titans and his first in a home game. He actually has a lengthy history in the NFL, though.
Undrafted out of Connecticut in 2016, he now has played 90 games for three different franchises. His time with Tampa Bay included a Super Bowl victory during the 2020 season. He was a starter for most of his rookie season with the New York Giants and again in 2019 with the Buccaneers.
Sunday’s interception was the eighth of his career but was only part of his story for the contest.
Adams also set a career-high with 10 tackles – eight in the first half – against the Colts as the defense relied heavily on a personnel package that featured three safeties, Adams, Hooker and Kevin Byard. Often, Hooker, who also finished with 10 tackles, played in the slot against a wide receiver, and Adams’ primary responsibility was running back Jonathan Taylor out of the backfield. Six of his stops were against Taylor, four on runs and two on passes.
“That’s just how the plays and the defense worked out,” Adams said.
And he walked out of the stadium with a ball emblazoned with the Colts logo, a memento of his first professional touchdown. Or the first one that counted, at least.
“I’m definitely keeping that,” Adams said. “I might give it to my dad or put it up in the man cave, something like that.”
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