NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A year ago, the Tennessee Titans lost their way in the race for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Now they find themselves tied atop the AFC South and coming off a very big upset of the defending Super Bowl champions.

DeMarco Murray ran for 92 yards and a touchdown, and the Titans held on to beat the Denver Broncos 13-10 Sunday and keep a piece of the lead in their division.

Titans cornerback LeShaun Sims, right, breaks up a pass intended for Denver's Emmanuel Sanders. Tennessee held off the Broncos' late comeback bid, earning a 13-10 victory. Associated Press/James Kenney

“We’re definitely a team that’s on the rise,” Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo said.

The Titans (7-6) climbed above .500 for the first time all season. They are tied atop the AFC South with Houston, a 22-17 winner over Indianapolis. Tennessee hosts Houston in the regular-season finale Jan. 1.

“All it does is just reconfirm what we’re doing, that we can play with anybody in this league,” Titans Coach Mike Mularkey said.

The Titans came in with the NFL’s third-best rushing offense and the AFC’s top runner in Murray, and they ran right over a Denver defense that was 28th against the run. By halftime, the Titans led 13-0, having run 26 times for 138 yards – the second-most rushes by any team in the first half this season and most allowed in the first half by Denver since 2014.

Tennessee then had to hold on as Trevor Siemian tried to rally Denver (8-5) despite a sprained left foot that kept him out last week. He threw a 3-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders with 9:58 left and drove the Broncos to first-and-goal at the Tennessee 7 before rookie Aaron Wallace sacked him. Denver settled for a 34-yard field goal by Brandon McManus with 4:28 left.

Siemian was driving the Broncos again when A.J. Derby fumbled after a catch. Safety Daimion Stafford recovered with 53 seconds left.

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