Saints kickoff returner Rashid Shaheed opted not to take advantage of the NFL’s new rule concerning fair catches on kickoffs and the decision came back to hurt the team.
Titans defensive back Amani Hooker ripped the ball out of Shaheed’s hands for a fumble and he was credited with a recovery after Titans head coach Mike Vrabel successfully challenged the initial ruling that he was out of bounds when he controlled the ball.
That set the Titans up with prime field position at the New Orleans 24-yard-line, but a pair of false starts and an incompletion meant the Titans had to settle for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Nick Folk.
Folk hit the kick and the Titans are up 3-0 with just over a minute off the clock.
