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Divisional games are always important. Divisional games vs. your biggest rival, and competition for the AFC South crown is even bigger. As football season gets into full swing, the Tennessee Titans beat their arch-enemy, the Indianapolis Colts, 25-16, on Oilers Tribute week at Nissan Stadium in Nashville Tennessee.
Game Recap
This was a sloppy win for Tennessee, to say the least. QB Ryan Tannehill threw 2 interceptions, and WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine fumbled inside the red zone. But finally, the Titans defense showed up to play, and limited the Indy offense to just one touchdown, and 3 field goals.
The game started with the Titans getting the ball and promptly punting, with the Colts following suit. On the third drive of the game, Tennessee broke through, with a 5 and a half minute drive, scoring on a 6-yard Tannehill pass to former Colt, Chester Rodgers, to put the good guys up, 7-0.
Photo: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
The Tennessee defense stopped the Indianapolis offense, and forced them to punt. But on Tennessee’s next drive, at midfield, Tannehill threw a pick to Colts star linebacker, Darius Leonard. Titans o-lineman, David Quessenberry tackled Leonard, and the Colts player fumbled, but sadly, he recovered the ball right away. The Colts took advantage of the turnover, and scored a TD on a 9-yard Nyheim Hynes run, to tie it up, 7-7. Tannehill responded by throwing a 16-yard strike to Westbrook-Ikhine over the middle, and had his receiver do the rest, putting the Titans ahead, 14-7. After punting, the Indy defense came up clutch again, forcing Tannehill to throw another interception, this one to cornerback Kenny Moore. This one was devastating, as it was in the 2-minute drill. Indianapolis capitalized on it, as Rodrigo Blankenship hit a 43-yard field goal to end the half. Going into halftime, it was 14-10 Tennessee, with the Colts getting the ball to start the 3rd quarter.
The first drive of the 2nd half saw the Titans defense bend, but they did not break, as they forced Blankenship to try a 28-yarder, which he made to cut the lead to one, 14-13. Tennessee got to the Indianapolis 6, but Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, filling in for AJ Brown, who got hurt in the first quarter, fumbled! The Titans defense though, once again held tough, and forced the Colts to punt, and gave the offense a chance to regain momentum, which they did, on a 10-yard Tannehill pass to backup running back Jeremy McNichols, in the back of the end zone. Mike Vrabel decided to try to make it a 2-possession game, and told Tannehill to go for two. The Titans QB handed the ball off to star running back Derrick Henry, and the King rushed into the end zone, to extend the lead to 22-13.
Photo: George Walker IV / Tennessean.com
The Colts responded by getting to the Tennessee 5, but the Titans defense held, and made Blankenship hit a chip-shot, 24-yard field goal, to make the score 22-16. That would be the last time the Colts score, as the Titans milked the clock, and had Randy Bullock come out to try a 32-yard field goal to ice the game with around 3 minutes left, which he did. The Titans (2-1), won 25-16 vs. the Colts (0-3).
My Thoughts
This was a game Tennessee would lose last year, because of AJ Brown’s hamstring injury, and because of the defense simply imploding for the 1,000th time, but that didn’t happen. The D did great, harassing Carson Wentz, slowing down the run game, and showing up when it mattered the most, on 3rd downs, and the red zone!
Brown’s injury is concerning, as he has been off to a slow start, and offensive coordinator Todd Downing has yet to have Brown and superstar Julio Jones gel, and make defenses work. Brown has had issues with drops, and the injury doesn’t help. They will need him in the future to have big games.
Derrick Henry had ZERO touchdowns! Though the King had 113 yards on the ground and 31 in the air, he didn’t score. But he helped the Titans get into scoring opportunities, and helped the play-action game, as well.
Photo: George Walker IV / Tennessean.com
Top Fantasy Performer
The top fantasy performer of this game is, drumroll, please…… Ryan Tannehill, with 21.48 points! Yes I know he threw for only 197 yards, and he had 2 picks, but he threw for 3 TDs. Also, this was a horrible game for fantasy, with all of the big-name players, like Jones, Brown, and Henry, underperforming for the fantasy aspect.
MVP, Improvement, Breakout for Next Game, and What’s Next
My MVP of the game goes to the Titans defense! They were outstanding, and I hope they can do this more often.
Photo: George Walker IV / Tennessean.com
A player who needs to improve is Ryan Tannehill. Tennessee simply can’t have 2 INTs a game, and less than 200 passing yards from QB1. Look for Tanney to get back on track next week. My breakout for next game goes to AJ Brown. I already said this, but we need him, and he needs to deliver soon. What’s next for both teams: Tennessee takes their 2-1 one record to New York, to play the Jets, while the Colts go to Miami, desperate for their first win of the year.