Tennessee Titans game history against Arizona Cardinals

Nashville, TN – This week’s game between the Tennessee Titans and the Arizona Cardinals renews a rare rivalry. Of all opponents that have been in existence since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Cardinals have played the Oilers/Titans the fewest amount of times—11 games total.

The Cardinals lead the series 7-4, including wins in the two most recent matchups in 2013 and 2017.

There have been just four Titans-Cardinals games (2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017) between the clubs in their current incarnations—the Cardinals played in St. Louis from 1960-87 (they played in Chicago prior to that), and the Titans were the Houston Oilers (1960-96) and Tennessee Oilers (1997-98) prior to taking their current name and opening Nissan Stadium in 1999.

The last two visits by the Cardinals to Nissan Stadium produced two of the most dramatic finishes in the stadium’s history. On December 15th, 2013, the Titans erased a 17-point deficit in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, only to watch Jay Feely win it for the Cardinals with a 41-yard field goal in overtime.

Prior to that, on November 29th, 2009, the Titans needed a late 99-yard touchdown drive to clinch a 20-17 victory against the Cardinals. Led by quarterback Vince Young, the Titans converted three times on fourth down on the game-winning drive, including a 10-yard touchdown pass from Young to Kenny Britt with no time remaining on the clock.

The Titans have made only one trip to State Farm Stadium, which opened in Glendale, AZ, in 2006. On December 10th, 2017, Phil Dawson’s four field goals were enough for the Cardinals to escape with a 12-7 win.

On November 1st, 1970, in the first-ever matchup between the Oilers and Cardinals, the Cardinals won by a score of 44-0. It stood as the largest shutout loss in the history of the Oilers and Titans until 2009 and began a three-game winning streak for the Cardinals against the Oilers (1970, 1974, and 1979). The Oilers then won consecutive games (1985 and 1988) before exchanging victories in the 1990s (Cardinals won in 1994, Oilers in 1997).

The Cardinals were founded in 1898, making the team the United States’ oldest professional football franchise still in existence. In 1920, they became a charter member of the National Football League (then the American Professional Football Association). They share a distinction with the Chicago Bears of being the only two of 11 charter members still operating today. The Cardinals have played as the Morgan Athletic Club, the Normals, Racine Cardinals, Chicago Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals, Phoenix Cardinals, and Arizona Cardinals.