INDIANAPOLIS -- A few thoughts on the Tennessee Titans' 41-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
What it means: The Titans have dropped three in a row and are 1-3 a quarter into Ken Whisenhunt's first season. They've made little headway establishing much of an identity, but have a penchant for mistakes, giving up points and failing to string together drives. The Titans have given up more points each week so far this season, from 10 in Kansas City to 26 against Dallas, to 33 in Cincinnati, to 41 in Indianapolis.
Satisfactory: Charlie Whitehurst wasn't great, but he managed to be average. He hit on 12 of 23 passes for 177 yards, a touchdown and a pick (not his fault) to go with three sacks and a 74.0 passer rating. He took a couple of big shots and delivered the long run of the game, a 23-yard scamper. Rookie Zach Mettenberger got the final two series, and engineered a three-and-out before throwing an interception to safety Mike Adams.
Usage issues: Rookie running back Bishop Sankey got the bulk of his work in a short span with two catches for 23 yards and four carries for 25 more and a touchdown. He had just two touches outside of that series. For two consecutive weeks, he's delivered on a second-half drive. Which begs a question: Why not use him more earlier?
Game ball: Delanie Walker has been the offensive bright spot for Tennessee in the first quarter of the season. He caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown and played with a fire that seemed to be lacking from some of his teammates.
What's next: The Titans host the Cleveland Browns at LP Field. The Browns are coming off a bye, but the Johnny Manziel era won't be opening as many suspected before the season.
