1. Joe Flacco did enough against a stingy Titans defense to win the game.
The Titans entered Week 6 allowing an NFL-low 124 passing yards per game; Flacco last week threw for 183 yards in the fourth quarter alone.
While the 39-year-old Flacco felt he left some throws out there – he couldn't connect with Alec Pierce, who flashed open downfield on a third-and-seven late in the fourth quarter for what might've been a 60-yard touchdown – he made enough plays to manage things for the Colts in a three-point victory.
Flacco in particular wasn't fazed by the Titans bringing eight rushers on a cover zero blitz on a third down at the 10-yard line; he cooly backpedaled and lofted a jump ball for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., whose remarkable toughness shined in hauling in what ultimately was a game-winning touchdown.
"We talked about maybe having that opportunity at some point in the game," Flacco said. "Not necessarily on that play, but they played cover zero there, and I knew I had the corner and the other guy on the right side. I knew I had him coming across the field and I just had to take a knee drop, so I can buy just enough time to get the ball up. Let him get across the field a little bit, get the ball up. And then besides that, you got to ask him. I mean it was a great catch, just great going up for it. I mean it's a 50/50 ball that he wins so that's huge."
The Colts expect Anthony Richardson to start next weekend's game against the Miami Dolphins, which could help out the team's run game with or without running back Jonathan Taylor, who's missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Richardson's return could have an even more significant impact in the red zone: Running backs Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson carried five times and gained just two yards inside the Titans' 20-yard line; inside the 10, they carried three times for zero yards. The Colts had to settle for two short Matt Gay field goals, from 22 and 26 yards, as they were unable to finish off a pair of drives inside the 10-yard line.
"Obviously the quarterback run game would help with that stuff," head coach Shane Steichen said. "But obviously I got to do a better job down there with that in that situation."
2. The Colts' pass protection held up.
Flacco was pressured on just 23 percent of his dropbacks on Sunday, becoming the fifth quarterback this season to not be sacked while attempting at least 35 passes (Andy Dalton, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix are the others).
Through six games, the Colts' offensive line has the NFL's highest Pro Football Focus pass block grade (84.7) and second-lowest pressure rate allowed (18.4 percent). And they've had that success while starting a first-year player in half their games – including Sunday, with undrafted rookie Dalton Tucker getting the nod at right guard. Tucker held his own against a veteran Titans front headlined by two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
"He's done an awesome job," Flacco said. "I mean, he's undrafted – made the football team, now he's starting and playing really well. I mean how impressive is that? He's a rookie. It's unbelievable, so credit to him."
Fellow rookie Tanor Bortolini – who started Weeks 4 and 5 – tagged in at center after Ryan Kelly exited Sunday's game with a calf injury in the second half. Bortolini played well in relief of Kelly, and three games into his career he has a 77.3 PFF pass block grade, fourth-best among all centers in the NFL this season.
"They stepped up and played good ball," Steichen said. "We didn't give up any sacks in the game which was impressive. I thought those guys did a hell of a job in protection. They played good. They played physical. They played hard. Credit to those guys – getting prepared every week. Then Dalton getting his first real opportunity to go out there and do what he did was impressive to see. So obviously, looking forward to him going forward."
3. Josh Downs continues to move the chains in key situations.
Despite missing the Colts' first two games of the season, Downs has been one of the NFL's most effective players at moving the chains on third or fourth down in 2024:
| Player | Team | 3rd/4th down targets | 3rd/4th down receptions | First downs on 3rd/4th down receptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malik Nabers | NYG | 16 | 14 | 11 |
| Chris Godwin | TB | 16 | 13 | 11 |
| George Pickens | PIT | 16 | 11 | 9 |
| Josh Downs | IND | 14 | 9 | 8 |
| Drake London | ATL | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Nico Collins | HOU | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Tee Higgins | CIN | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | 13 | 9 | 8 |
| Diontae Johnson | CAR | 15 | 8 | 8 |
| George Kittle | SF | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Stefon Diggs | HOU | 16 | 13 | 8 |
Through 21 games in the NFL, about one-third of Downs' receptions have moved the chains on third or fourth down (31/95). Eleven of those first downs have come on third and six or longer, pointing to Downs' feel for finding open space against zone defenses and his slippery yards-after-the-catch ability.
"He's got a great feel – we talk about it a lot, but just the throttle in those zones, even when there are certain routes where he's breaking away and running with speed, he's got that natural feel to settle in those holes," Steichen said. "As long as the quarterback and him are on the same page to make those things work, which they've been doing, it's been really impressive to see."
Downs sparked the Colts' fourth quarter go-ahead scoring drive on a third-and-seven when he caught a pass from Flacco four yards short of the sticks, cut across Sneed's inside shoulder and dove for the line to gain. Flacco went right back to Downs on first down, with the second-year receiver turning that catch into an 11-yard gain and another fresh set of downs.
"I knew they had the No. 1 total defense, and they said they didn't give up a lot of explosive plays," Downs said. "So, I wouldn't say I knew know was going to be a big game for me, but I knew that I was going to have opportunities either way. And just like other guys on the team were going to have an opportunity as well. But yeah, the cards just fell that way today."
4. Jaylon Jones and Sam Womack III both made big plays – as they have all season.
Titans quarterback Will Levis may have the lowest passer rating among qualified starting quarterbacks this year (70.7) and the Titans' offense is averaging just 135 passing yards per game, but the play of the Colts' two outside cornerbacks – Jaylon Jones and Sam Womack III – on Sunday is absolutely worth highlighting here.
With the Titans' offense built around isolating veteran receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley, Jones and Womack held up in coverage when challenged on the outside. Levis completed one of three passes to Hopkins when Jones was in coverage; Womack knocked a Levis pass out of Ridley's hands in the fourth quarter. In total, Jones and Womack held Levis to one completion on five attempts toward those two veterans for just eight yards.
"Jaylon, he's becoming one of those guys in this league, one of those dudes you can trust over there," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "... Sam, man, he's been taking advantage of the opportunities he's got. He's definitely been a big boost for our defense since he came in."
The Colts are seeing Jones (a 2023 seventh-round pick) and Womack (a 2024 cut-down day waiver claim from the San Francisco 49ers) do some good things as they settle into the 2024 season. Let's start with Womack and where he ranks among cornerbacks with at least 100 coverage snaps in 2024:
| Stat | # | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage snaps | 106 | 89th |
| Yards allowed per reception | 6.8 | 3rd |
| Yards allowed per coverage snap | 0.25 | 2nd |
| Forced incompletions | 5 | T-13th |
| Forced incompletion rate | 55.6% | 1st |
Womack usually subs out for linebacker Jaylon Carlies when the Colts are in base defense (two corners, three linebackers), leading to a lower total of coverage snaps (he also didn't play on defense in Week 1). But when he's on the field, he's not getting thrown at much:
| Player | Team | Coverage snaps | Targeted in coverage rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshon Lattimore | NO | 185 | 5.9% |
| Christian Benford | BUF | 190 | 7.9% |
| Tariq Woolen | SEA | 163 | 8.0% |
| Pat Surtain II | DEN | 188 | 8.0% |
| Sam Womack III | IND | 106 | 8.5% |
| Jalen Ramsey | MIA | 131 | 9.2% |
| Jaylon Johnson | CHI | 205 | 9.3% |
| Rasul Douglas | BUF | 180 | 9.4% |
| Sean Murphy-Bunting | ARZ | 191 | 10.0% |
| Sauce Gardner | NYJ | 149 | 10.1% |
That list, as you can see, is full of established cornerbacks offenses try to stay away from targeting – Lattimore, Surtain, Ramsey, Johnson, Gardner among them. The Colts' defensive scheme probably plays a part in these numbers here. But it's worth remembering that NFL teams prey on the weak points of their opponents. Womack, baseline, hasn't been a weakness for the Colts' defense when he's been on the field; more accurately, though, he's played well in coverage. And he has a high standard for himself, one that doesn't stop with merely being a reliable NFL starter.
"I want to be All-Pro, want to be (in the) Pro Bowl," Womack said. "I want to get at least five picks. You've got to have five to at least make it to that caliber. Obviously I want to win too, being on a Super Bowl team and back-to-back years NFC Championship and Super Bowl, I'm just contagious to winning now. Whatever I've got to do so we can be successful, win our division, come out the AFC and win a ring, that's what I'll do."
With teams not throwing toward Womack much, that's meant Jones has been tested plenty. Jones has been targeted on 16.1 percent of his coverage snaps, the 27th-highest rate in the NFL, and for the most part he's held up on those. Jones' 72.7 Pro Football Focus coverage grade ranks 27th among cornerbacks, and he has five pass break-ups, two interceptions and a forced fumble this season.
Back to Week 6, though: Both Jones and Womack were tested in the fourth quarter, with the Titans having three possessions while down three points after Pittman's go-ahead touchdown with about seven and a half minutes left. They were able to deliver tight coverage on Hopkins and Ridley, helping keep the Titans from tying things up or winning in the game's final moments. More challenges await, but games like these guys had Sunday will fuel the Colts' trust and belief in Jones and Womack going forward.
"They were all over," Steichen said. "They were playing aggressive with tight man coverage on a lot of those situations, and made big time plays. Credit to those guys. They put in the work during the week. Ridley's a hell of a player, we knew that going in, and they got some talented weapons over there. And credit to those guys, I mean, shoot, they had a hell of a game. Defense played a hell of a game. It was great."
5. The Colts' special teams units made a major impact.
In a game in which the Colts managed 269 yards of total offense, the 67 yards they gained on Downs' four punt returns proved critical. Those 67 yards were the most gained by a Colts player in a single game since running back Nyheim Hines had 195 (and two touchdowns) against the Carolina Panthers in 2019, and were the fourth-most gained by a player in a game this season.
Downs' 23-yard return – which started at the Colts' six-yard line – helped flip field position and lead to a scoring drive late in the second quarter. And Downs' 15-yard return on a bouncing punt he caught at the 10-yard line sparked the Colts' go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
"He gives us some explosiveness back there," Steichen said. "We saw it yesterday, just his vision. ... He's just got a natural feel back there."
The Colts' punt coverage unit had a fantastic game as well, with wide receiver Ashton Dulin making an impressive tackle on a first quarter punt and the Titans gaining just nine yards on two returns.
And the final standout moment here came with Rigoberto Sanchez delivering what amounted to a walk-off punt. His booming 57-yard punt with 22 seconds left stayed in bounds and kept rolling down to the three-yard line, where Tennessee took over with 12 seconds left and effectively no chance to win the game.
"That punt was big time," Flacco said. "I mean, he couldn't have done it any better. I mean, when I saw the thing land and I saw just sitting there. Right there, whatever on the two-, three-yard line. He's been doing it for a long time and placing those balls where he needs to place them. A hell of a punt by him."
