NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are home favorites against the Colts, poised to get to 4-3 Sunday afternoon.
All it’ll take is a performance that ends a nine-game winning streak for the Colts against Tennessee.
The only time the Titans have beaten the Colts in their last 15 meetings dating back to 2008 was a 2011 home win when Curtis Painter played quarterback for the visitors.
The Titans have been close at other times, but have not broken through. This is their best chance in some time. The Colts have a patchwork offensive line that hasn’t protected Andrew Luck well. They are beat up at receiver. Their defense has only eight sacks.
Tennessee has a strong ground game with DeMarco Murray going against the league’s No. 25 rush defense. The Titans' play-action passing game is working well as they take on the No. 29 pass defense.
Still, there is reason to doubt a Titans team that has found so many ways to lose to the Colts.
If the Titans don’t win this one, I think three factors will contribute.
1) Missed tackles: Luck is going to face pressure and at times he’ll have to settle for short throws. Can the Titans get the receiver down when the first defender arrives? If the Colts get some short catches that turn into big gains after the catch, that could be an issue.
2) Special teams: The Titans are bad on special teams. They’ve given up two punt return touchdowns and gotten to the point where a rugby-style punt is sometimes their best choice, if it can ensure they do not have to cover a return. The Colts have young, inexperienced returners in Chester Rogers and Josh Ferguson whom the Titans can not allow to have breakout days. The Colts also have an excellent punter/kickoff man in Pat McAfee and an all-time great kicker in Adam Vinatieri.
3) Luck: The Titans have made 18 sacks, including six each in the last two games. But Ryan Tannehill and Cody Kessler were far easier to chop down than Luck is. Tennessee has seen him complete throws with defenders draped on him before. The Titans can’t give up such killer plays.
