CHICAGO (AP) — Djordje Mihailovic scored in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time to rally Toronto FC to a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night.
Mihailovic found the net unassisted. It was his 10th goal and his first in his eighth appearance with Toronto (5-13-14). His first nine goals came in 24 appearances with the Colorado Rapids to begin the season.
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Chicago Fire midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie, center left, and Toronto FC defender Richie Laryea, center right, battle for control of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Toronto FC midfielder Matthew Longstaff (8) and Chicago Fire midfielder D'Avilla Dje Tah, right, battle for control of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire players celebrate after a second-half goal against Toronto FC during an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Toronto FC defender Sigurd Rosted, left, and Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers, right, battle for control of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire midfielder Philip Zinckernagel, right, trips Toronto FC midfielder Kosi Thompson, left, during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Toronto FC forward Deandre Kerr, top left, heads the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Chicago Fire, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire center-back Joel Waterman, front left, and Toronto FC midfielder Matthew Longstaff, back left, battle for a header during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers kicks the ball in bounds during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
The Fire (15-11-7), who clinched their first postseason appearance since 2017 with a 5-3 road win over Inter Miami on Tuesday, fell behind 1-0 in the 28th minute on an own goal by defender Jack Elliott.
Elliott atoned with goals in the 71st and 89th minutes — both on assists from Philip Zinckernagel — to give Chicago a 2-1 lead. Elliott has three goals on the season, while Zinckernagel upped his assist total to 15 in his first season in the league.
Chris Brady totaled three saves for the Fire.
Sean Johnson stopped four shots for Toronto.
The Fire's 66 goals this season is one off the club record set in 2000. Chicago went 4-1 in September for the second time — also doing so in 2012.
Chicago beat Toronto 2-1 on the road on March 15. Toronto leads the all-time series 14-13-14.
Toronto travels to play Los Angeles FC on Wednesday. The Fire close out the regular season on the road against the New England Revolution on Oct. 18.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
Chicago Fire midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie, center left, and Toronto FC defender Richie Laryea, center right, battle for control of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Toronto FC midfielder Matthew Longstaff (8) and Chicago Fire midfielder D'Avilla Dje Tah, right, battle for control of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire players celebrate after a second-half goal against Toronto FC during an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Toronto FC defender Sigurd Rosted, left, and Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers, right, battle for control of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire midfielder Philip Zinckernagel, right, trips Toronto FC midfielder Kosi Thompson, left, during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Toronto FC forward Deandre Kerr, top left, heads the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Chicago Fire, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire center-back Joel Waterman, front left, and Toronto FC midfielder Matthew Longstaff, back left, battle for a header during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers kicks the ball in bounds during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Toronto FC, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cedric Gray isn't concerned about Tennessee Titans fans wanting the first overall NFL draft pick for the second straight year.
The second-year linebacker and everyone else in the Titans locker room were focused on getting their second win of the season.
Behind a strong running game along with key plays on defense and special teams, the Titans snapped a seven-game skid as they held off the Cleveland Browns 31-29 on Sunday.
“We hadn’t won since Week 5, so it feels amazing,” said Gray, who had a team-high 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. “I’m not worried about the No. 1 overall pick. We’re ballplayers. We got heart every time we step on the field.”
Tony Pollard rushed for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee averaged 5.3 yards per carry. The defense forced a pair of turnovers in the second half and the special teams blocked a punt, with those plays leading to 17 points.
“This is complementary football. Big plays in all three phases,” said interim coach Mike McCoy, who picked up his first win in seven games since he replaced the fired Brian Callahan.
Cam Ward, the top overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed 14 of 28 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, his first game with multiple TD tosses. Ward also threw an interception but was sacked only once, the first time this season hadn't been taken down at least twice.
Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns in his third start, and he also ran for a score in a matchup of rookies. However, Sanders threw a costly interception in the third quarter that led to Tennessee’s go-ahead TD.
The Titans (2-11) had a 31-17 lead with 6:17 remaining before the Browns scored a pair of touchdowns. Sanders had a 7-yard scramble with 4:27 left and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:03 remaining, but the Browns (3-10) missed both of their 2-point conversion attempts.
Cleveland attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by Tennessee's Chimere Dike and the Titans ran out the clock.
Pollard, who had 25 carries, had a career-high 65-yard TD run late in the first quarter to give the Titans a 14-3 lead. After Cleveland rallied to take a 17-14 halftime advantage, Pollard put the Titans up for good with a 32-yard carry off left tackle. The third-quarter touchdown came two plays after Titans safety Xavier Woods picked off an ill-timed deep pass by Sanders and returned it 35 yards to the Browns 38.
After Gray recovered Dillon Sampson's fumble and returned it 19 yards to the Cleveland 8, the Titans extended their lead to 28-17 on Ward's 5-yard TD pass to Chimere Dike.
Joey Slye's field goal made it a two-touchdown advantage. That came after James Williams Sr. blocked a punt.
“Some of the things that happened that game, we expect more from our run defense,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We got to protect the ball. We had a punt blocked, and obviously not getting either the 2-point plays really off is frustrating. So that’s on all of us.”
Sanders completed 23 of 42 passes and was the Browns' first rookie quarterback since Baker Mayfield to have a 300-yard game. Fellow rookie Fannin finished with eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.
“I would say as time goes on, those decisions and those things, you know, will slim down. And we won’t be in situations where I have that feeling, like, I got to make something happen," Sanders said.
The Titans scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time this season when Ward hit Ayomanor on a crossing route for a 14-yard score. Ward was 4 of 4 for 48 yards on the eight-play drive. Tennessee came into the game as the only team without a TD on an opening drive.
“About time, honestly,” Ward said. “We have to continue to be efficient. I have to be efficient, throwing to my guys open, putting it in their radius to make plays.”
Sanders had a strong second quarter to help the Browns take a 17-14 halftime lead.
He found David Njoku in the left corner of the end zone on third-and-goal at the Titans 1. With 2:47 remaining, Sanders gave the Browns the lead with a 60-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, the receiver's second TD this season.
Cleveland's Myles Garrett became the 14th player to record 20 sacks in a season when he got to Ward in the second quarter. With four games left, he needs three sacks to break the NFL record of 22 1/2 shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh's TJ Watt.
“I think we really were licking our chops for the pass and they stuck with the run, and we really should have been focused on stopping the run,” Garrett said.
Titans: OT Dan Moore suffered a neck injury in the third quarter.
Browns: WR Malachi Corley (concussion) and Njoku (knee) were injured in the second quarter. C Ethan Pocic (Achilles tendon), CB Denzel Ward (calf) and WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) left in the second half.
Titans: At San Francisco next Sunday.
Browns: At Chicago next Sunday.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) runs the ball for a touchdown as Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) gives chase in the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) visits with his father Deion Sanders, right, during warmups before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) catches a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) defends in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) sprints to the end zone after catching a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) gives chase in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) runs the ball for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
