INDIANAPOLIS–
First Quarter Recap
The Titans won the toss and elected to receive.
It was the perfect start for the Colts. The defense got things going early with a three-and-out.
The offense followed suit with a touchdown drive. The eight-play drive included an Andrew Luck 3rd-and-13 conversion to T.Y. Hilton and a 33-yard defensive pass interference. Robert Turbin plunged in from one yard out to give the Colts a 7-0 lead with 8:39 to play in the opening quarter.
With the 2006 Super Bowl team in attendance Sunday, Robert Mathis turned back the clock with a spin move sack to force another three-and-out.
The torrid start for the Colts continued. After multiple straight wildcat direct snaps to Frank Gore, the Colts showed a little trickery. Gore's pitch to Andrew Luck looked like the Colts wanted to go deep. But with T.Y. Hilton covered, Luck checked down to a wide-open Gore for 49 yards. Donte Moncrief's red-zone touchdown pushed the Indy lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.
The first quarter came to a close with the Titans punting for a third straight time.
At the end of the first quarter, the Colts led the Titans 14-0.Second Quarter Recap
The Colts were going for the kill early in this one. They continued it with another touchdown drive. A nine-play, 80-yard drive saw a 50-yard completion to Jacoby Brissett. Then on a fourth-and-one from the Tennessee two-yard line, T.Y. Hilton somehow came down with the touchdown. The lead was 21-0 early in the second quarter.
Tennessee's best drive of the day ended with no points. Consecutive sacks by Erik Walden and David Parry, plus a penalty on Tennessee tight end Delanie Walker, took the Titans out of field goal range and into another punt.
The first negative for the Colts all afternoon came on their next drive. A Dwayne Allen drop sent Adam Vinatieri out for a field goal try. But, for the first time since Week Two of 2015, Vinny's attempt missed. The wide right attempt from 42 yards kept the score at 21-0 with 2:13 left in the first half.
Desperately needing to take advantage of the good field position, the Titans did. A 12-play drive for the Titans ended with Marcus Mariota throwing a three-yard touchdown.
At halftime, the Colts led the Titans 21-7.Third Quarter Recap
The first sack of Andrew Luck on the afternoon led to the Colts going three-and-out in starting the second half.
With run defense still a strength on the afternoon, the Colts forced a three-and-out. It became a four-and-out when the Titans tried a fake punt but were denied at their own 41-yard line.
The Colts cold not take advantage of the golden field position though and had to punt. The punt was downed at the Titans' two-yard line with 11:25 left in the third quarter.
Then the game pressure officially arrived on the home sideline. A 98-yard touchdown drive was capped by wide receiver Tajae Sharpe's 34-yard touchdown on a 3rd-and-1. The score cut the Indy lead to 21-14 with 6:35 remaining in the third.
It was a struggling stretch of football for the Colts. Even though Andrew Luck snapped his eight-straight incompletion streak, the Colts drive still ended in a punt.
Tennessee would start from their own six-yard line looking to tie a game they were once trailing by 21 points.
The Titans were nearing midfield when the quarter ended.
At the end of the third quarter, the Colts led the Titans 21-14.Fourth Quarter Recap
The momentum continued for the Titans. A 47-yard field goal from Ryan Succop made the score 21-17 with 12:14 to play in the fourth quarter.
After punting on their first three possessions of the second half, the Colts finally found some rhythm. A 50-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton got things started. Adam Vinatieri's 49-yard field goal put the Colts ahead 24-17 with 10:50 to go.
The defense then got a huge stop. A D'Qwell Jackson sack, the fourth of the day from the Colts, came on a 3rd-and-7 and gave the ball back to the offense with 7:53 to go.
With the offense having a chance to pretty much end it, Luck would give the football right back. A ball thrown into coverage by the Colts was picked by Tennessee cornerback Brice McCain at the Indy 38-yard line.
The Titans penetrated Indy territory but Clayton Geathers came up with a massive fourth-down tackle. The stop gave the Indy offense the ball back at their own 19-yard line with less than three minutes remaining.
One final third-down conversion by the Colts ended things on Sunday, with the home team getting a much-needed, 24-17, victory over the Titans.
The Colts (5-5) will have a short turnaround with the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) coming to Lucas Oil Stadium on Thanksgiving night this week.
Colts InactivesC-Austin Blythe
OT-Le'Raven Clark
ILB-Deon King
OLB-Curt Maggitt
CB-Christopher Milton
CB-Patrick Robinson
WR-Devin Street
Colts Pre-Game Notes
- The Colts have won 10 straight against the Titans and have beaten their divisional foes from Nashville 15 of the last 16 times.
- At halftime of Sunday's game, the Colts will honor the 2006 Super Bowl team, in the 10-year anniversary of Super Bowl XLI.
- After Sunday, the Colts will have their Thursday night game in 2016, against the 4-5 Pittsburgh Steelers.
Weather Update
-With temps dipping way down into the 40s, the roof and window will be closed today at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Colts have teamed up with Uber and ICJI to help fans ride responsibly on game day! Download the Uber app and enter code COLTS2016 for a free first ride up to $15. Make the right call - get home safe with Uber!
