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The Indianapolis Colts established themselves as the dominant force in the AFC South, beating the Tennessee Titans by a score of 34-17 on Thursday night. Philip Rivers completed 29 of 39 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown, and clearly made an effort to spread wealth, as he connected with eight different receivers. Running backs were certainly important in the passing game, as Nyheim Hines and Jonathan Taylor combined to record seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, and Hines also rushed for 70 more yards and a touchdown.
As for the Titans, they actually gained a four point lead at halftime. However, their special teams completely derailed the game in the third quarter, as the Colts exploded for 21 unanswered points in the second half to put the game aside. A quick glance at the box’s score will show you how it went, as the Colts’ offense racked up 430 total yards, while the Titans registered just 294 total yards.
Why the Colts won
Why did the Colts win? They won thanks to NC State University! During the closing moments of that Thursday night game, Joe Buck of Fox Sports called this “NC State Night,” and he’s absolutely right. As we mentioned, Rivers (NC State alum) threw for 308 yards and a touchdown, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett sealed the game with a two-yard touchdown and Hines totaled 115 yards and two touchdowns. . While these former NC State players have been great, certainly all of Rivers’ guns deserve credit. Rookie Michael Pittman Jr. led all the misses with seven catches for 101 yards and TY Hilton also caught four of his five targets for a total of 40 yards.
Why the Titans lost
Leading up to this game, we spent a lot of time discussing whether the Titan offense could succeed against the Colts defense or if Rivers could exploit the Tennessee secondary, but we forgot to mention the special teams! Reserve punter Trevor Daniel and veteran kicker Stephen Gostkowski failed to perform Thursday night, and that was a big reason the Colts were able to pull off a 14-0 run in the third quarter. Daniel punted, blocked his next for a touchdown, then Gostkowski missed a 44-yard field goal after making a 50-yard goal earlier in the game. While Daniel may have left after this week, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about Gostkowski’s job security after the game, and he remained silent on the subject – saying that the team will have to evaluate everything they do.
Turn and play of the game
The Colts jumped on the Titans early in the second period. As Indy returned the ball on tries on their first possession after Jordan Wilkins got up on the goal line on the fourth down, Daniel then threw a punt that covered a total distance of 17 yards on the next possession of the Titans. Since the Colts took over on the Titans’ 27-yard line, it took just four games for Rivers and Co. to take the lead for the first time in the contest.
At this point in the game the Titans had to respond, but instead they came out three and Daniel had his punt blocked for a touchdown that extended Indy’s lead to 10 points. That’s right, the Colts have scored two touchdowns in 59 seconds of playing time.
And after
The Colts return to Indy next week, where they host the Green Bay Packers next Sunday. Aaron Rodgers and Co are atop NFC North with a 6-2 record, and are set to face rookie quarterback Jake Luton and the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. The Titans hit the road to face the Baltimore Ravens, which they started in the playoffs last January. There is no doubt that Lamar Jackson will seek revenge on Tennessee, as he has said this offseason that he thinks about this playoff loss “constantly”. Before he has a chance at the Titans, however, the Ravens will have to defeat the New England Patriots at Foxborough on “Sunday Night Football”.
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