EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, 3 December 2003 — All the pre-game attention was on injured Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair but it was Chad Pennington who stole the show Monday, leading the New York Jets to a 24-17 win over the Titans.

The loss, Tennessee’s first in two months, left the Titans at 9-3, tied with Indianapolis in the AFC South Division. The Jets improved to 5-7.

Pennington threw for 231 yards and two second-half touchdowns while being picked off twice, both coming before the break.

The Jets quarterback was 8-for-8 for 134 yards after the break. He hooked up with Kevin Swayne from 27 yards with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter for one TD before finding Curtis Conway from eight yards early in the final period.

“I just tried to get it to my guys, let them make plays,” Pennington told reporters.

“There’s no quit in this team,” added Pennington, who sat out the first two months of the season with a broken left wrist. “We have great character.”

McNair, who started the game despite being listed as questionable with a strained right calf, was unusually erratic, being picked off twice for the first time this season. The front-runner for Most Valuable Player honors had previously been intercepted only four times in total. McNair, however, still went 21-for-35 for 272 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets.

McNair found Justin McCareins for a 59-yard TD with his second pass of the night.

But the lead was short-lived, the Jets scoring on their next possession when Curtis Martin, who finished with 67 rush yards, scampered six yards to make it 7-7.

There was no more scoring until just before the break when New York drove deep into Titans territory, kicker Doug Brien hitting from 27 yards to put his team up 10-7.

Gary Anderson brought Tennessee level with a 35-yard field goal midway through the third period.

Pennington then hooked up with Swayne to make it 17-10. The Jets caught a huge break early in the final quarter when Santana Moss pulled in a deflected pass for a 31-yard gain. Two plays later, Pennington and Conway connected to give New York a commanding 24-10 lead.

McNair then drove the Titans 73 yards to New York’s three-yard line but Tennessee failed to score in four tries from there.

On Tennessee’s next possession, he found favorite target Derrick Mason from eight yards to wrap up the scoring.

In the game’s only significant injury, the Titans lost linebacker Rocky Calmus early with a broken fibula.