Markus Kuhn first German ever to score TD in NFL

How do you say "touchdown" in German?

Sadly, boringly, it's just "touchdown." There is no direct translation, or, as defensive tackle Markus Kuhn noted to those eagerly anticipating a 27-letter word dripping with umlauts and eszetts, no throat-clearing "-chk, -chk, -chk" sounds. Kuhn, who was born and raised in Germany, scored on a 26-yard fumble return late in the first quarter.

Who would have thought Kuhn would score the first defensive touchdown of the year for the Giants?

Not Kuhn. Even after he picked up the ball that popped out of Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger's hands when he was hit by Devon Kennard.

"I said, 'There's no way, no way, no way,' '' Kuhn said of his thinking. "And then JPP, I heard him yelling, 'Go! Keep running! You're going to score!' "

It was Kuhn's first touchdown since he came to the United States and North Carolina State to play the sport, but he said he scored before when he played . . . quarterback!

"In Germany," he said, "if that counts."

Did Kuhn get to celebrate?

Not much, because he had to be back on the field to help protect on the extra point. But he did keep the football as a memento. "I'll put it somewhere in my apartment, look at it, and be happy," Kuhn said.

And for those who activated Kuhn in their fantasy leagues?

"This is just for them," he said.

What happened between Tom Quinn and Steve Weatherford?

After Weatherford launched a punt that wound up as a touchback in the third quarter, he came to the sideline and was confronted by the special- teams coordinator. The two had a heated exchange that was captured by the television broadcast. "Heat of the moment," Weatherford said. "He was disgruntled, I was obviously disgruntled. That was that."

Weatherford said that happens a lot on sidelines between players and coaches. "It just so happened that they caught it on tape," he said. Weatherford added that a few minutes later he apologized to Quinn. "He said, 'No worries.' "

How did Damontre Moore play?

He saw extended action and had two sacks, but he also made a glaring mistake when he was flagged for an illegal hit on Mettenberger after Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie's interception. The 15-yard penalty wiped out an apparent pick-6.

Moore said he thought he was able to block the quarterback, but only later learned that only applies if the quarterback is making an effort to defend the play. Mettenberger was unsnapping his chinstrap when Moore hit him. "I should have known the rules a lot more clearly," Moore said. "Sometimes I'm too aggressive. I feel like that's my strongest asset and one of my weaknesses."

Tom Coughlin seemed aggravated by the play and said he was "not pleased" with the penalty. Did he go ballistic on Moore the way he did on Mathias Kiwanuka the last time the Giants played in Tennessee?

Amazingly, no.

"I feel like coach Coughlin had the same mentality," Moore said of the play. "Any other time, which we all know I've gotten penalties before, he's ripped me. This time he didn't. He just told me you have to be a little bit smarter and you just have to remember that there are certain rules around certain players."

Is Eli Manning OK?

Yes. The quarterback spent an uncharacteristically long time in the trainer's room after the game, but said he was just dealing with "wear and tear of the NFL." He said he was getting iced down. Manning wasn't hit very much by the Titans, but he did take a lick on the deep incomplete pass to Odell Beckham Jr. in the fourth quarter. "Nothing serious," he said.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.