After trailing by 28 points at halftime, the Indianapolis Colts (7-5) rallied to defeat the Tennessee Titans (4-8) 31-28 at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.
This win not only extended the Colts’ win streak to four games, but it also collected their first road win against Tennessee since 2018. It also marked the first time the Colts swept the season series against the Titans since 2018.
The offensive performance of the Colts was particularly lacking in a generally sloppy contest. With a 100.5 passer rating and completion percentage of 26 for 42 yards and two touchdowns, quarterback Gardner Minshew had another poor performance.
On paper, there are some respectable statistics, but as any spectator of the game can attest, Minshew was all over the place.
Nevertheless, the Colts were set to face a road opponent they had trouble beating previously in OT.
In light of the victory in Week 13, here is our immediate analysis:
What went right?
WR On 16 targets, team leader Michael Pittman Jr. had an 11-105-1 line. In nine games this season, he has accounted for at least eight receptions, and he has done it in five straight games as well.
WR With a 3-100-1 line, Alec Pierce finally broke through. This is the first game in his career in which he has rushed for 100 yards.
TE With 72 yards, Kylen Granson set a new career best in a single game.
There was a firestorm on special teams for the Colts. They managed to deflect two punts and even return one of them for a score. As for Matt Gay, he was successful on both field goals and his one extra-point try.
Six and a half sacks and nine quarterback hits were recorded by the pass rush.
Jacob Martin had one sack, Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye each had two, DeForest Buckner and Eric Johnson both had one, and there were a total of five sacks.
LB Three and a half tackles for loss were a team-high for E.J. Speed.
On third down, the Colts’ defense was solid, allowing just six out of seventeen attempts (or 35% of the total).
The Titans offense was restricted to 4.7 yards per play by the defense.
What went wrong?
When facing Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears, the Colts were completely outmatched. Before suffering a concussion, Henry ran the ball 21 times for 102 yards and two scores. Spears assumed control and ran for 75 yards on 16 carries, while also receiving four passes for 13 yards.
If the Colts were in a money dilemma, they were cruel. On third downs, they were just 3-for-14 (21%), and in the red zone, they were 1-for-5 (20%). During regulation, they went 0-for-4 in the red zone.
On play-action passes, the Titans’ offense was difficult for the defense to stop.
A total of two of the Titans’ three red-zone possessions resulted in touchdowns (67%).
The Bottom Line
After Sunday’s game, the Colts didn’t exactly appear like a playoff contender. Even though the Colts did nearly everything in their power to seal the deal, the Titans were obviously the better team. But they were still successful, and that is something we must remember. Traveling and winning games by a single point have been their strong suits this year. They have demonstrated a culture of fighting under new head coach Shane Steichen, and it has been evident throughout the season. Even though the Colts still have a lot of mess to fix, they are still in charge of their own fate with five games left in the playoff chase.
