Rapid reaction from the Tennessee Titans' 26-20 victory over the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Talking Points
- Hold up: The Titans . . . actually . . . WON?
- Yes, sir. It will not be 0-for-17 for the Titans this season. Credit their defense and special teams for stepping up to overcome a 13-0 deficit and rally in the second half to seize a game that very much appeared to be tilting the other direction in the opening half. The season’s first victory for the Titans, who've been getting booed at home themselves, was serenaded by booing fans in Indianapolis.
- The Titans did it despite continued struggles for the offense and quarterback Cam Ward. But the defense forced three Colts turnovers and totaled six sacks, while the special teams directly caused two Titans touchdowns and got four field goals from Joey Slye. The biggest play was a blocked punt by Julius Chestnut that was recovered for Femi Oladejo for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Who had a defensive end getting a go-ahead touchdown late in this game?
- Don’t let the result fool you: This was not a good performance by Ward. He still hasn’t had many good performances as an NFL quarterback, truthfully, and he threw for only 102 yards against the Colts, completing 11 passes. Ward did, however, convert a key third-and-5 pass to Wan’Dale Robinson to extend the drive that led to Slye’s 49-yard field goal with 2:03 remaining to retake the lead at 23-20.
- Rookie receiver Carnell Tate was again productive despite his offense’s continued struggles, catching six passes for 70 yards and his first NFL touchdown. As FOX’s Terry Bradshaw noted at halftime of this game, it is “ugly” for the Titans offensively right now. The old Steelers QB wasn’t wrong. But the fact that Tate has been able to emerge as an exception is highly encouraging for his future.
- Chimere Dike, a Pro Bowl-caliber returner as a rookie, finally broke out of his sophomore slump by getting loose for big gains during the Titans’ late comeback. His 58-yard punt return didn’t go the distance, but it set up the offense at the Colts’ 28-yard line, leading to the offense's lone touchdown of the game.
- Eyebrows raised to see the Titans list struggling cornerback Alontae Taylor as a healthy scratch for this game. Bold move, that one. They could’ve just benched Taylor, but instead, they were OK just ruling him out completely in a thin secondary. The Titans signed Taylor this past offseason to a $58 million contract. Per Spotrac, Taylor’s cap hit of roughly $14 million is the fifth-highest on the team (and that cap hit is set to jump to $25 million next season). There could be more behind this, but at first glance, it’s a terrible look for general manager Mike Borgonzi that his expected No. 1 cornerback was demoted to the inactive list by Week 6. Joshua Williams, back from an early injury, started in Taylor’s place.
Where the game turned
It was via special teams. This was a huge day for John Fassel’s unit, which was due for one of those. Dike's 58-yard punt return was huge to help an offense that hadn't yet scored a touchdown, and then the blocked punt TD was a pivotal play in the Titans' comeback.
Key number
64 — Total first-half offensive yards for the Titans, compared to 232 for the Colts. That’s a gap of 168 yards. That’s bad. This is worse: It wasn’t even the Titans’ worst first-half yardage total this season. They had fewer at halftime against the Jets (55) and Giants (54).
What I liked
Given the (continued) offensive struggles, it was going to take something special on defense and special teams for the Titans to win this game. That’s exactly what happened in the second half.
The Titans’ defense was more active and opportunistic, carrying the team back into contention during the second half. The defensive front, too, showed up more in this game, as Jeffery Simmons and Jermaine Johnson each had two sacks. This was more like what the Titans envisioned in their D-line, which was expected to be a strength of this team. For the most part, that unit has not lived up to that expectation. This game was a big step in the right direction.
What I didn’t like
The Colts had their first two scoring drives helped by unnecessary Titans penalties on third down. Early in the second half, Titans special teamer Truman Jones (who’d already been flagged for a holding penalty on the game’s opening kickoff) ran into the punter on fourth-and-5 to bring the Colts’ offense back on the field.
And then, after the Colts tied the score in the fourth quarter, Isaiah Oliver was flagged for a holding penalty on Dike’s return, forcing the Titans to start at their own 17-yard line instead of near midfield. These are avoidable mistakes, and while they didn't cost the Titans this game, mistakes like these have been costing the Titans for years.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Defense and special teams lead Titans to surprising, comeback win over Colts | Estes