Andrew Nelles/USA TODAY Sports
Colts Stun Titans, Take First in AFC South
Four days removed from a humbling home loss, the Indianapolis Colts hit the road and delivered their most impressive victory of the season with a 34-17 triumph over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
The Colts and Titans are now tied for first in the AFC South Division at 6-3. But the Colts earned an early edge in the head-to-head tiebreaker. The teams meet again in two weeks at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Colts, who had lost 24-10 at home to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, bounced back decisively for their third win in a row in the Music City. Head coach Frank Reich has won each of those games with different quarterbacks: Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, and Philip Rivers. The Colts have won 10 of 12 in Nashville.
"You can tell I'm pretty excited," Rivers said. "This was huge."
The game turned in the third quarter, when Colts running back Nyheim Hines scored his second touchdown on a two-yard rush and E.J. Speed blocked a punt that T.J. Carrie returned 6 yards for a score to erase a 17-13 halftime deficit.
"He had a fire in his eyes," Reich said of Hines, who celebrated his 24th birthday with two TDs and a career-high 115 total yards. "He was in the zone."
After the Titans failed to respond with a missed field goal, the Colts drove to another score after Brissett subbed in for Rivers for one play, a bullish two-yard QB sneak into the end zone.
The Colts' No. 1-ranked defense didn't allow a point in the second half. The Titans have been outscored 52-27 in the second halves of the last three games.
"I think we're going to have to re-evaluate everything we do," said Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Titans running back Derrick Henry rushed for 103 yards on 19 carries, but facing a three-score deficit, the home team couldn’t rely on the run any longer. The 2019 NFL rushing champion was a non-factor down the stretch.
The Titans drove into scoring position again, but the Colts defense got another stop as quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw incomplete on back-to-back attempts. Tannehill finished 15-of-27 for 147 yards with one TD.
The Colts offense continually exploited a 25th-ranked Titans defense that has struggled to generate a pass rush and has given up chucks of yards this season. The Colts finished with 430 yards compared to the Titans’ 294.
Rivers completed 29-of-39 passes for 308 yards and one score. Rookie wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had the best game of the season with a game-high seven catches for 101 yards.
Hines, a backup running back typically utilized on third down, enjoyed his third multi-score game of the year. His first TD came on a 13-yard reception to tie the game at 10 in the second quarter. Hines finished with 70 receiving yards and 45 rushing yards.
"This is the best birthday ever," Hines said.
Colts defensive end Denico Autry contributed his team-leading sixth sack of the season, and fourth in the past three games. Linebacker Darius Leonard and safety Khari Willis each had a team-high eight total tackles.
After the weekend off, the Colts host the Green Bay Packers (6-2) while the Titans visit the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) in Week 11.
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
