How Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill decided it was right time to return from injury

After missing two weeks with an ankle injury, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill returned to action Sunday and put together arguably his best game of the season.

The Titans (6-3) defeated the Denver Broncos (3-6) in a 17-10 comeback win on Sunday at Nissan Stadium. Still dealing with the ankle injury that kept him out the previous two weeks, Tannehill threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns and rushed twice for 12 yards. He completed eight passes for 59 yards on a drive right before halftime to get the Titans on the scoreboard for the first time, perfectly executed a flea-flicker for a 63-yard score and found players in space to lead a drive that set up a field goal in the fourth quarter to put the Titans up by seven points.

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"Things were ugly early," Tannehill said. "Guys hung with me and kept battling. We found a way to start making some plays, take advantage of some looks that we were getting and make some big plays, especially down the stretch when we needed them."

The Titans' offense started slowly, punting at the end of each of its first six drives. But after that, Tannehill looked like the vintage version of himself, throwing for 214 yards and two touchdowns on 15 completions across the final drive of the second quarter and the second half.

Tannehill said he started feeling confident about his ability to play when he returned to practice in a limited role on Wednesday. He said he "had a feeling" as the week progressed that he'd be able to play through the pain, but the pain is still there. He joked about coming up limping after an 11-yard rush in the second quarter that he hadn't tested that aspect of his game in a few weeks and felt the effects after the play.

With the Titans' next game coming as a quick turnaround on Thursday against the Green Bay Packers, the challenges ahead of Tannehill to recover quickly and to stay healthy will be daunting. But he's optimistic that Sunday's outcome will give him the boost he needs.

"It'll be interesting to see how I feel in the morning," Tannehill said. "But everything feels a little better when you win."

Contact Nick Suss at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill feels after return from injury