INDIANAPOLIS — A Colts team that badly needs a chance to reset itself has a prime opportunity against one of the NFL’s worst teams this week.
Indianapolis hosts the reeling Titans at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium (WXIN-59) in a rivalry matchup that’s a shell of what it once was on both sides.
The Colts (2-3) cannot afford to take an upset against Tennessee (0-5) if Indianapolis wants a chance to hang around the edges of the AFC playoff race.
1.Tennessee’s offense has been abysmal. The Titans are dead last in points (11.6) and yards (246.4), and it’s not particularly close in both categories. The 31st-ranked team in points, Miami, is averaging 14.0 points per game, and the Eagles are almost 16 yards ahead of the Titans. The Indianapolis defense has been bad in its own right, ranking 27th in points allowed (27.6 per game) and 28th in yards (384.2) but the Titans are in their own league in terms of performance so far.
Can Colts defense look better vs. Cam Ward?
2. Titans quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in 2025, looks lost. Ward’s mobility has allowed him to keep the sacks down, but he’s averaging a terrible 5.8 yards per attempt this season. Tennessee’s line hasn’t been great, but Ward’s time in the pocket has been OK; he’s facing pressure on 38.2% of his dropbacks, a better number than Jalen Hurts, Sam Darnold, Drake Maye, Jordan Love and Colts quarterback Daniel Jones this season. Indianapolis has struggled against the pass this season, but the Colts have done OK against struggling passing games, and Ward’s an inviting target.
3. Ward is known for his ability to move in the pocket but he hasn’t actually taken off all that much this season. The Titans starter has 14 carries for 59 yards, but he’s mobile enough that the Colts will have to be careful with their rush lanes. The Indianapolis defensive ends, led by Laiatu Latu, have just 1.5 sacks in the first five games, but the interior combination of DeForest Buckner (four sacks) and Adetomiwa Adebawore (two sacks) has been excellent when opponents get in obvious passing situations.
4. Carnell Tate, the fourth overall pick of April’s NFL Draft, is Ward’s best weapon, averaging 11.9 yards per catch on 23 receptions, although Houston held him to one catch for six yards Sunday. Two weeks ago, Tate had nine catches for 145 yards against Baltimore, so Sauce Gardner should likely draw that matchup. None of the Titans’ other primary targets is averaging more than 10 yards per catch.
Is C.J. Allen the answer at linebacker?
5. Will Indianapolis use rookie middle linebacker C.J. Allen a little bit more this week after a career-high 24 snaps on Sunday? Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was complimentary of Allen’s work against the Steelers, and Indianapolis desperately needs something from its linebackers, particularly veteran middle linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither. Tennessee’s running backs, Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, have been pedestrian, averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
6. Tennessee’s defense has been excellent against the run. Under former Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and Titans head coach Robert Saleh, Tennessee is fourth in the NFL in yards allowed per carry, just 3.54 yards. The Colts have work to do with the running game. Jonathan Taylor is coming off his worst performance of the season, only 45 yards on 15 carries in Pittsburgh, and when he’s struggling, it hamstrings the Indianapolis offense in the red zone.
Can Daniel Jones get right vs. Titans pass defense?
7. If the Colts can figure out who to target downfield in the passing game, there should be opportunities. Tennessee is allowing 7.46 yards per attempt, the 26th-most in the NFL, and the Titans run a Saleh-Bradley scheme that is considered fairly static compared to most NFL defensive schemes. Traditionally, that’s been a good thing for Daniel Jones and Shane Steichen, although this season has been a slog; Jones is averaging an ugly 5.8 yards per attempt.
8. This won’t surprise Colts fans familiar with Bradley’s defensive philosophy, but Tennessee is blitzing on only 22.5% of the snaps. Jones did a much better job navigating the pocket against Pittsburgh last week, and the Colts’ guard combo of Quenton Nelson and Matt Goncalves should be an effective duo against longtime Titans star Jeffrey Simmons inside.
9. Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor has given up 21 catches in 22 targets as the nearest defender in coverage, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, but as an outside cornerback, the Colts will have to hunt Taylor with the right matchups. Without Alec Pierce available, Indianapolis has struggled to find consistency on the outside. Veteran Keenan Allen has 18 catches for 145 yards, underwhelming production considering what the Colts needed.
10. Indianapolis will likely try to continue to win the field-position battle, and the Titans look like a ripe target. Tennessee is averaging just 7.1 yards per punt return, ranking 25th in the NFL. The Titans are 18th in kickoff returns (25.8), but the Colts have been eating up yards by landing kickoffs inside the landing zone and bouncing them into the end zone for touchbacks that bring the opposing offense out to the 20-yard line.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 10 things to watch as disappointing Colts take on hapless Titans
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