after a scoreless first quarter, the titans opened up the scoring when jevon kearse sacked buffalo quarterback rob johnson in the end zone for a safety. johnson completed just 10 of 22 passes while being sacked 6 times, including twice by kearse. wide receiver derrick mason returned the free kick 42 yards to the bills' 28-yard line; five plays later, tennessee quarterback steve mcnair scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. after forcing a punt, the titans drove 56 yards in 11 plays. kicker al del greco initially missed a 45-yard field goal attempt, but the bills were penalized for defensive holding on the play and del greco's second attempt was good from 40 yards on the last play of the half. at the end of the half, the bills were trailing 12–0 and had gained only 64 yards, while also losing 44 yards on 9 penalties.