Kevin Byard saved the season, Marcus Mariota reversed it

Prescott may have managed to put the ball between Byard's cover and cornerback Logan Ryan in the arms of the Dallas Cowboys' new weapon, Amari Cooper, for a 14-0 lead in the first quarter at the stadium. AT & T. Maybe Byard just can not handle his pass and the Cowboys have another chance. Maybe they score in third place, or they are stopped and at worst they go up 10-0.

Given the noise, 90,466 fans were making all the mistakes of the Titans: two escaped lost, a third fumble lost overturned and deemed an incomplete pass for the rereading of the match. It was the carnage of "Monday Night Football". It was a titanic team dazed, overwhelmed by the moment and headed for a fourth straight defeat and a 3 to 5 record with New England coming to town after a short week of preparation.

The 6-3 Texans of Houston, winners of six consecutive games, were going to play two and a half games in the south of the AFC. A Monday night visit in three weeks in Houston was about to be at best a desperate relief. National respect? A step forward in the first season of coach Mike Vrabel? For the boys? This season was about to be for the birds.

And then Byard got up and grabbed that spilled pass.

"I just forced him," Prescott said later.

"Huge, huge – I think the defense has done incredible work throughout the year, saved us," said Marcus Mariota about Byard's play.

"Well, we did a lot of criticizing the defense early in the game," said Taylor Lewan, the Titans left striker, who lost Jack Conklin, victim of an alleged concussion for the second period. "and the defense saved us, this game could have become really ugly, very fast."

Instead, the Titans sideline came to life when Byard sprinted to the big star in the middle of the field. It took a few seconds to pay tribute to a longtime celebration of Terrell Owens in Dallas.

"I was actually expecting someone to cut off my head," Byard said.

But the Cowboys watched it come true, then the Titans resumed the match.

TO CLOSE

Byard had an interception in the end zone at the start of the Titans victory over the Dallas Cowboys
Erik Bacharach, USA TODAY – HUI NETWORK – Tennessee

Mariota did the honors, bringing the Titans to 80 yards in 15 games for the touchdown. The whole place had a different feel.

And even if you do not feel comfortable saying that Byard's interception saved the season, let's say the Titans' 28-14 win has been successful. For the moment, there is still much to be done to save money.

"It was definitely a win," said Dion Lewis, the best dog in the race with 19 runs for 62 yards and four catches for 60 and one touchdown.

This season has been everywhere and with four wins and four losses in the middle of the race, it would not be a shock to see her finish eight with eight. It sounds right, actually.

But maybe this team can rely on 48 minutes of mostly excellent football against Dallas (3-5), and find 60 against New England. Maybe the Titans will be ready to face the Texans in a decisive fight in prime time and give the green light for the race to be tight again. Maybe they will get through this month in a position to make a December run against a much lenient schedule.

Maybe this offense has a chance. Against General No. 3 and NFL No. 2 on the road, he found something after Byard's choice. He did things he had not done since a 26-23 overtime win over the Eagles on Sept. 30, improving the Titans to 3-1. The Titans have a total of 31 points in the next three games. On Monday, they scored 21 in 19 minutes. They have reached the red zone five times against one of the best defenses of the NFL and have reached the end zone four times.

"Yeah, I mean, it's shocking," said Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford. "It was shocking to see how … the number of points."

Running back Derrick Henry finished the draw by one meter. Lewis then grabbed a 18-meter screen pass, a game after Mariota found Darius Jennings on a beautiful 36-yard bomb. Cornerback Malcolm Butler earned that lead by getting burned again, this time by a double shot by Allen Hurns.

But the Titans' defense would play dominant football from there, attacking Prescott and controlling halfback Ezekiel Elliott. Linebacker Jayon Brown found the Prescott bag and band recovered by linebacker Wesley Woodyard. He marked the start of the game for a 40-yard touchdown to take the lead for good.

Mariota (21-in-29, 240 yards, two touchdowns) was terrific after her fumbling start, standing up against the Cowboys' passing run and making big shots after big throwing.

"We are delighted with this performance," Vrabel said of Mariota, "a winning performance".

Mariota's young pass captains, widely criticized as the largest aid zone he had needed since the last trading deadline, were at his side.

Corey Davis with six catches for 56 yards. Smith with two shots and a score. Jennings with a big game. Taywan Taylor with two catches before a foot injury lodged him.

Cameron Batson – yes, Cameron Batson – with two catches for 21 yards and almost a bomb to him.

"No matter what age we can have," Davis said. "Young, old, I believe in this group and I know how much work we do each week."

Tajae Sharpe seemed to have tweaked something before the match and did not play much, but the Titans had already done enough in the air. That is to say until Mariota misses a wide open Davis in the end zone with a chance to put the game aside. Ryan Succop then missed a 28-yard field goal on the left post. The Cowboys had a spark. Rookie linebacker Harold Landry put him in a Prescott bag.

And Mariota finished the next 64-yard run with her feet, a 9-yard run with 4:38 remaining to put it away. His teammates mobilized him. Their season had turned again. Two hours earlier, in the same end zone, he had been seized and brought back to life.