The Good, the Bad & the Unforgivable from the Colts’ Embarrassing Week 6 Loss

The Indianapolis Colts faced off against a floundering Tennessee Titans team on Sunday that was still looking for its first win of the season.

For the 2-3 Colts, it was an opportunity to take care of business against one of the league’s basement dwellers and pick up their second AFC South win of the season.

Instead, Indianapolis stumbled its way to a 26-20 defeat, falling to 2-4 in a season where anything less than a playoff appearance is unacceptable.

Fans showered the team with boos as the clock expired. Some broke out in chants, demanding accountability from the team officials responsible for the current state of mediocrity the franchise is stuck in. After surrendering a 13-point halftime lead to a division rival that had yet to win a game, the Colts gave their fans plenty of reasons to be frustrated.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the straight up unforgivable from Indianapolis’ latest defeat.

THE GOOD

TE Depth

The Colts passing game was without starting tight end Tyler Warren for the first time since drafting Warren two years ago. The overall production suffered without his presence, but the rest of the tight end depth chart stepped up in a big way. 

Mo Alie-Cox caught the first Colts’ touchdown of the game and filled his usual run blocking role, helping the offense rush for 165 yards as a unit. Will Mallory made his season debut after spending the first five weeks on injured reserve with a thumb injury as well, catching two of his six targets for 20 yards. 

The void left by Warren wasn’t filled entirely—it’s almost impossible to make up for his absence—but the Colts still got some solid play out of the guys who stepped up to replace him. 

First Half Defense

Although they couldn’t maintain their excellent start in the second half, the Colts defense played a strong first two quarters. Tennessee was held scoreless at the half, threw an interception and was limited to just 64 total yards. 

Of course, the second half looked much different. Indianapolis surrendered 20 unanswered points, scoring on all five possessions, and gave up no sacks to an invisible Indianapolis pass rush. 

Even though they couldn’t sustain their success, the Colts defense showed they could shut down an offense, albeit one of the league’s worst, making their first half showing one of the few bright spots from an otherwise dark Sunday afternoon. 

Jonathan Taylor

Where would the Colts be without Jonathan Taylor?

Even while surrounded by total mediocrity, Taylor’s individual brilliance continues to shine through. The Colts superstar running back recorded 151 yards from scrimmage against the Titans, the most of his season so far, and added a touchdown late to keep the Colts in the game. The only blemish on his statline was a lost fumble in the second half. 

In ten career games against Tennessee, Taylor is now up to 1,054 total scrimmage yards, over 105 yards per game. Seems like Taylor might have the franchise’s number. 

THE BAD

Pass Protection

One of the few strengths of the Colts roster as it currently looks is the offensive line. The unit is widely considered one of the best starting groups in the league. 

But if you watched Sunday’s game, they looked nothing like the elite unit they’re meant to be. 

The Colts offensive line particularly struggled in pass protection. Daniel Jones was sacked six times, more than the previous two weeks combined. 

Tennessee attacked Indy’s edges, and Jalen Travis struggled at right tackle. Without Tyler Warren to help chip rushers on his way out to run his route, the Titans had more one-on-one opportunities, and took advantage. 

The rushing game did manage 165 yards, but that number is irrelevant in the larger context. The offensive line simply wasn’t up to the task, which is inexcusable when the opponent is winless. 

Special Teams

The Colts’ special teams unit allowed several big plays, quite uncharacteristically. 

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tennessee’s Chimere Dike returned a Rigoberto Sanchez punt 58 yards to help set up a short field, which Cam Ward and the Titans offense capitalized on with a four-play drive to tie the game at 13. 

The very next drive, the Colts punt team made another huge mistake, but this one was bigger. 

Tennessee managed to block Sanchez’s punt and scoop up the loose ball, which was run back for a touchdown that put the Titans up 20-13 late in the fourth quarter. 

Indianapolis’ special teams unit, which typically is very reliable, simply had a bad day at the worst possible time. Frustrating scenes. 

Field Position

Indianapolis held Tennessee to just 185 yards of total offense, yet lost by six. The difference? Field position.

The Titans average starting field position on Sunday was their own 35-yard line. That’s a full seven yards further up the field from the Colts, who started at their own 28-yard line on average.

Taylor’s fumble and the long punt return from Dike were major difference makers, as each allowed the Titans to start on the other side of midfield. They took advantage of their short fields, turning each opportunity into points. 

The Colts already have plenty to clean up across the board. If they’re incapable of winning the field position battle, what are they capable of winning?

THE UNFORGIVABLE

Daniel Jones’ Turnovers

After cleaning up many of his turnover issues last season, Daniel Jones is back to his old self. 

Jones’ two interceptions against Tennessee brought his season total to nine turnovers. For comparison, he had 11 in 13 games a season ago. As a result, Indianapolis now possesses a -8 turnover differential, the worst in the league. 

In his defense, Jones wasn’t the primary player responsible for the first interception. As Jones scrambled to his right looking to extend a broken play, he tried hitting Josh Downs for a gain of about five yards. But, he put too much zip on the throw, which bounced off Downs’ hands and into the arms of Amani Hooker.

But that’s where the excuses stop for Jones. He continues to put the ball in harm's way, despite knowing so, and it’s hurting the Colts tremendously. Simply inexcusable, especially in a season where the pressure to win is well and truly on. 

Josh Downs’ Drops

Josh Downs is no stranger to drops. The fourth-year receiver has 14 in his first three seasons, and they were an issue again against the Titans. 

Downs had two major drops in the game. One bounced off his hands and to Tennessee for an interception while the other halted the offense’ momentum late in the game as they looked to pull off a late comeback. 

Considering the injury issues the Colts have at wide out, Downs hasn’t taken advantage of his chance to separate himself as a go-to option for Jones. 

And without Tyler Warren, who’s the Colts best weapon in the passing game? If today was any indication, until Downs cleans up his drop problem, it certainly won’t be him. 

Non-Existent Pass Rush

New week, same story. The Colts pass rush was nowhere to be found. Again. 

As a unit, the Indianapolis defense recorded no sacks and just a single QB hit on Cam Ward. Tennessee has done a good job this season of keeping their quarterback clean this season (just 10 sacks allowed, T-6th fewest in the league), but the effort shown by the Colts was laughably poor. 

The only play that made any sort of an impact was the lone quarterback hit on Ward. Andetomiwa Adebawore got pressure in his face and forced a bad throw, which wound up in the hands of Cam Bynum for Indy’s only turnover of the day. 

Through six games, it’s obvious the Colts didn’t do enough to bolster their pass rush in the offseason. Missing out on Trey Hendrickson definitely didn’t help, but the franchise’s contingency plan there wasn’t good enough. 

And in a game where the opposition pass rush gets to the quarterback six times, putting up a zero, especially with so much on the line this season, is downright dreadful. Indy’s pass rush hasn’t recorded a sack since the third quarter of last week’s loss to the Steelers, a streak that speaks volumes to how badly the defensive line personnel has been managed throughout this season.