As the final second ticked off the clock here on Sunday, plenty went through the minds of the Tennessee Titans.

There was excitement, and there was relief.

“What did I think?,’’ linebacker Derrick Morgan said with a smile. “I thought, ‘Thank God.’ I was thanking God for the victory, really. We have been in those positions in the past and come out on the wrong side a lot of times. To finish with a win, that’s all that matters. So it felt good.”

The Titans took care of business here in a 27-21 win over the Chicago Bears.

Yes, they made it more interesting than they would’ve liked, but the end result was positive.

“It was quite a ride,’’ Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “Every one of these games is like a whitewater (ride). It was quite a ride and we found a way to win. We need some of those games. I’ve been on the other end of a lot of those games here, and we needed one of those games to go our way.”

Now, the Titans get a chance to ease back for a week before things get serious.

Then, things could get very interesting.

With Sunday’s win, the Titans improved to 6-6 and moved into second place in the AFC South behind the Houston Texans, who lost to San Diego on Sunday to drop to 6-5.

The Titans have a bye next Sunday. They’ll return to action on December 11 against the Denver Broncos at Nissan Stadium. With a quarter of the season left, the Titans are alive in the hunt for the division title, and a playoff spot.

“The feeling is excitement,’’ tight end Delanie Walker said. “At the end of the day, it’s football. No one said it is going to always be pretty. It was a tough-fought game … but we conquered and all I ask for is to get a W.

“Now, this is the fourth quarter (of the season). Ultimately we want to win out, win all four games. That is the mindset we have. But we are going to have to be on point.”

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota led the way again on Sunday. Mariota completed 15-of-23 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns, and helped the team jump out to a 27-7 lead in the second half.

Mariota has now thrown at least two touchdown passes in eight consecutive games. He’s now third player in franchise history with 25 touchdowns in a season, and the first since Warren Moon did it in 1990. Mariota now has 25 touchdown passes on the season vs. just eight interceptions.

“We are right in the thick of it,’’ Mariota said of the team’s mindset. “Our mentality can’t change. We have to continue to take it one game at a time, and find ways to improve. … You want an opportunity this time of year to get a chance to make a run at a division title and maybe make a run at the playoffs, and that is all you can really ask for.”

The Titans went on a rollercoaster ride here on Sunday.

The Bears jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Barkley to tight end Daniel Brown.

The Titans answered back on their next possession, however, with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with an 11-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry. It was Henry’s second career touchdown, and he picked up a key block from Walker on his way to the end zone.

Walker got into the end zone himself on Tennessee’s next drive. His four-yard touchdown catch from Mariota capped off an eight-play, 64-yard drive and gave the Titans a 14-7 lead with 9:11 left in the second quarter.

The Titans extended their lead to 21-7 late in the second quarter on a beautiful 29-yard touchdown catch by receiver Rishard Matthews, who got behind the defense and caught the ball in flight.

A 19-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Succop made it 24-7 in the third quarter. Succop added a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 27-7 with 13:45 remaining. It looked like the Titans might cruise to a win, but things got bumpy.

After a shaky start on defense, the Titans made some plays that ultimately proved to be game-savers. One of the biggest was an interception by linebacker Wesley Woodyard at the 11-yard line, which halted a Chicago drive in the first half.

In the third quarter, safety Da’Norris Searcy picked off Barkley in the end zone on a third down play.

But the Bears still managed to make things interesting late. Too interesting.

An eight-yard touchdown pass from Barkley to Marquess Wilson made it 27-14 with 8:23 remaining. Barkley then connected with Deonte Thompson for a six-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-21 with 3:06 left.

The Bears ended up driving the field and had in first-and-goal at the Tennessee 7-yard line in the closing moments, but they couldn’t score. A fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and the Titans celebrated.

“Nothing matters right now but the fact we got the win, and we are in the positon we want to be in,’’ Titans rookie safety Kevin Byard said. “It is hard to win in this league, and in the NFL a “W” is a “W.”

Thanksgiving week turned out just fine for the Nashville Predators.

Behind two goals from both Colin Wilson and Ryan Johansen, the Preds defeated the Winnipeg Jets by a 5-1 final on Friday evening to complete a perfect 3-0-0 home stand. The victory gives the Preds points in eight-straight games at home and a 10-7-3 record overall as things continue to come together in the right way for the club.

“I think even early in the season we had some games that were good too, and we just couldn’t score – especially at 5-on-5,” defenseman Roman Josi said. “I think today we got a couple bounces and one or two goals; they kind of bounced for us. We played a really good game, really sold it. [Pekka Rinne] was great again, like he has been all month.”

A Dustin Byfuglien point shot deflected off the stick of the Preds winger and floated its way into the Nashville net at 14:46 of the first period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead, but it wasn’t long before Wilson redeemed himself.

A perfect pass from Mike Fisher went right to the stick of Wilson less than six minutes into the second frame, and the Winnipeg native directed the puck behind Connor Hellebuyck to get his team on the board and start what turned into a three-goal period for his club.

And just for good measure, Wilson added his second of the night in the third period for a 4-1 lead.

“I mean, coach wants us to get tip goals, but that was kind of the wrong way,” Wilson laughed. “It was kind of an unfortunate bounce, but I was happy to get it back.”

“Willy, for me, has been strong all year,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “He’s just working really hard; he’s protecting the puck. When the points come, you never know; as long as players are doing the right things and playing hard, usually good things follow, and I think he’s been a guy that’s been pretty consistent all year.”

Wilson’s goaltender wasn’t about to shift the blame for Winnipeg’s only goal, instead finding humor in it all.

“You know what you’re going to get from him every night,” Pekka Rinne said of Wilson. “He works so hard, he’s protecting the puck; he’s really an important player for us. He’s one of the leader players, so it’s good to see him getting rewarded on the ice, too – scoring a couple big goals. That goal, that’s not his fault. He’s trying to block that and it hits his stick – and then – I don’t know, I’m picking up coins… I wasn’t even upset after the goal, I was kind of laughing.”

Ryan Johansen isn’t sure what it is, but he usually finds himself on the score sheet when the Jets are on the other side of the ice. Johansen tallied two goals and an assist on Friday evening, giving him 16 points in 11 career games against Winnipeg, including a five-game point streak against them.

Perhaps more importantly, Johansen has five points (3g-2a) in his last two games, a figure the centerman and his coach hope is a sign of things to come as the season continues.

“I don’t know, it’s just one of those teams where we have success,” Johansen said.

“It’s good for Ryan to get rewarded tonight with some pucks going into the net.” Laviolette said. “I like it when he shoots the puck, he’s got a terrific shot and tonight you saw him score a couple of really nice goals. We don’t have a lot of 30-goal-scorers, but he’s one of them. The more he gets the puck at the net, the better off we’ll be and the more he’s going to produce.”

The Preds continued their stellar play at Bridgestone Arena, completing a perfect 3-0-0 home stand, collecting their sixth consecutive win at home and their eighth home contest with at least one point.

In fact, Nashville has outscored their opponents, 35-13, at home this season, and their +22 goal differential is second in the NHL behind Montreal (+25). On the contrary, the Preds have allowed just 13 goals at home, the fewest in the NHL. They have allowed two goals or fewer in nine of 10 games.

Nashville’s overall home record sits at 8-1-1, and the ability to collect two points in their own barn is a commodity the Preds would prefer to keep.

“Every single day feels like a playoff atmosphere,” Johansen said. “Monday night, Wednesday night, whatever day it is, the fans come in here and give us such great support. We’ve really been feeding off that and having a good time here at home.”

Prior to Friday’s game, defenseman Matt Carle announced his retirement from the National Hockey League.

“First of all, Matty is a terrific person,” Laviolette said. “I know him and his family, and I think it’s difficult when a player’s career starts to come to an end or starts to come to a close. I was glad that he came here and glad that the opportunity presented itself. I feel bad myself that it didn’t work out, but I spoke to Matty today, it doesn’t take anything away from Matty, it doesn’t take anything away from what I think of him as a person and player and his career. He’s been a terrific pro, and I wish him the best with what he does.”

Forwards Colton Sissons and James Neal left Friday’s game with upper-body injuries and did not return. In addition, defenseman Ryan Ellis missed Friday’s game with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day.

Defenseman Anthony Bitetto returned to the Nashville lineup on Friday – his first game since Opening Night – after missing 18 games with an upper-body injury.

The Predators home-and-home with the Jets concludes on Sunday in Winnipeg, a 12 p.m. (CT) puck drop. Nashville then heads to Colorado to take on the Avalanche on Tuesday.