Colts Must Win These 3 Matchups If They Want to Beat Titans in Week 6

The Indianapolis Colts are fresh off an all-too-familiar loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

The Colts are 2-3 entering their Week 6 AFC South matchup against the Tennessee Titans, their second divisional game of the young season and first time taking on the Titans.

Tennessee is off a lowly 0-5 start to the 2026 season, and now aims to march into Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday and get its first win against a divisional rival.

The winless Titans beating the Colts in Week 6 would almost be poetic, given that it would assist the ongoing train wreck that is led by conductor Chris Ballard.

The Colts desperately need to start stacking wins if they want any shot at the division and/or playoffs, and I'm breaking down the three ways they can almost guarantee a much-needed victory against the Titans in Week 6.

A Jonathan Taylor Feast

Colts' star running back Jonathan Taylor has had a strong start to the season, but he's itching for a breakout game, and what better time than at home against a divisional opponent in the Tennessee Titans?

Taylor is ninth in rushing yards (398) and T-fourth in rushing touchdowns (6), but his career-low 3.9 yards per carry (previous low is 4.4 ypc) screams breakout game.

And the Colts are desperate to lean on Taylor, as their passing offense has become unreliable.

Where the Colts may specifically be able to beat the Titans on the ground is through gap scheme runs, with Taylor's recent success suggesting it's sustainable.

Jonathan Taylor has rushed for a league-high 139 yards on gap scheme runs this season, including five explosive runs (10+ yards), tied for the most among running backs, according to Next Gen Stats. More via NGS:

Taylor has also forced eight missed tackles on gap scheme runs this season, tied for the third-most among backs. Since the start of the 2025 season, Taylor leads the league in gap-scheme rushing yards (726), touchdowns (13), and missed tackles forced (43).

Rushing for 2+ touchdowns in three of his five games is no doubt impressive, but Taylor has yet to rush for 100+ yards, and recent history suggests he'll do so against the Titans.

Taylor's career-high rushing yards against the Titans was just 70 yards throughout his first six matchups, but he's rushed for 100+ in his three games since, not to mention his eight total rushing touchdowns.

It won't be easy, though, given the Titans have a competent rushing defense that is T-12th best in rushing touchdowns allowed (5) and 17th in rushing yards per game allowed.

High $ Secondary Takes Care of Business

The Indianapolis Colts have one of the most expensive secondaries in the NFL.

They've rebounded, albeit marginally, since their unacceptable start, but they need to continue their upward trajectory if Indianapolis wants to leave Lucas Oil Stadium with a win.

Titans' quarterback Cam Ward has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league through five weeks, and Colts' defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo needs to do everything in his power to not allow Ward to have a breakout performance.

Ward ranks in the following categories among qualified quarterbacks leaguewide:

179.2 passing yards per game (2nd-worst among QBs with 5 games played), 3 passing touchdowns (T-25th), 77.2 Passer Rating (28th), 5.8 % Deep Pass Rate (Last)

The Colts' secondary must take advantage of Ward's poor start to the season, especially since the defense has proven to be one of the worst tackling teams in the NFL, its revolving door at linebacker has been a glaring hindrance against the pass and run, and its pass rush cannot be trusted to take matters into its own hands.

Lou Anarumo's defense is 28th in yards allowed after contact (482) and 31st in yards per play allowed (6.8), and even though their tackling woes have been the Colts' biggest concern thus far, their pass rush (or lack thereof) has been doing its best to compete for the title of worst aspect of the defense.

Indianapolis' pass rush has totaled 10 sacks (T-19th), but the Colts' pressure rate is easily the worst (23.7%), as they are the only defense in the league with a sub-30% pressure rate, according to Next Gen Stats.

Furthermore, the Colts haven't been great against the run; in fact, they've been one of the worst, but at least they should be able to take care of the Titans' brutal run game.

Tennessee is averaging just 82.6 rushing yards per game, good for 27th-best in the NFL, and has scored the least number of touchdowns overall (6).

If Lou Anarumo's defense can't handle the Titans, the Colts' season will look even bleaker than previously thought possible.

Big Q Handles Jeffrey Simmons

Trusting Quenton Nelson to handle business is an easy thing to do at this point, but the future Hall of Famer will have his hands full this Sunday when he takes on a familiar foe in defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

Simmons is one of the highest-paid tackles in the league, and for good reason. He's become one of the best interior defensive lineman that the sport has to offers, as well as being the Titans' heart and soul of the defense.

Jeffery Simmons has 19 pressures this season, tied for the third-most among defensive tackles, including six quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds), tied for the fifth-most among defensive tackles, according to Next Gen Stats.

Since the start of the 2025 season, Simmons has 29 quick pressures, the most among defensive tackles over that span.

However, the Colts' interior O-line has allowed a 6.3% pressure rate, the 11th-lowest among teams, including just a 0.7% quick-pressure rate, trailing only the Broncos (0.6%).

Nelson and Simmons have faced off twice a season for the past several seasons, and this matchup will begin to determine just how feasible a successful season is for the Indianapolis Colts.