PREGAME
The Colts are 0-2 in the division and come into Tennessee with their postseason hopes in significant jeopardy. They’re without Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett, and Dwayne Allen on offense, so Luck is already without three of his top five receiving options. Zach Kerr is unavailable on defense.
The good news: Indianapolis is 9-0 against Tennessee in their last nine games, eight of them with Luck. If there’s a team they can beat, it’s Tennessee.
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FIRST HALF
The first half features two battles: Andrew Luck vs. his receiver’s hands, and Tennessee’s offense vs. themselves. Tennessee scores on their first drive on a sneaky pass to an eligible lineman, capping off a very Colts-like defensive effort — but the holder botches the point after. It’s a theme for the rest of the game, with most of Indianapolis’s “defensive stops” actually coming off bad plays by the Titans.
Indy’s linebackers start cold and they don’t exactly heat up as the game goes on.
The Colts look really good on offense in the first half despite dropping two of Luck’s first eight passes, scoring two touchdowns on their first three drive. T.Y. Hilton especially looks good, specifically on a deep post route that puts the Colts up 14-6. Hilton would finish the game with seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, which actually understates how well Indy’s only starting-caliber receiver played.
When Adam Vinatieri kicks his record-tying 42nd field goal in a row, it looks like a Colts route.
But the Colts punt on 4th and 1 at midfield, setting up Tennessee with the ball and just over two minutes remaining in the half. A long pass interference call against T.J. Green gives Tennessee the ball on Indy’s one-yard line, and they punch the ball in a minute later. Going into the half it’s 17-13, Colts.
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SECOND HALF
The first major drive has Luck relying on Hilton and Frank Doyle, filling in for the injured Allen. Doyle looks more and more like (dare I say) long-time Colt TE Dallas Clark as the game progresses, catching and running for significant gains more than a few times. He and HIlton combine for four catches and 52 yards on the drive, which is capped off by Adam Vinatieri’s now-NFL-record 43rd straight field goal. 20-13, Colts.
Tennessee’s next two drives highlight a few things: first, Josh McNary should not be starting in the NFL. He is not good in pass defense and just before a Patrick Robinson interception, he delivers a cheap shot to Delanie Walker (negating the INT and giving Tennessee a first down).
But it also highlights the officiating, which for the first time this season seems to be decidedly not in Indy’s favor. The most questionable call comes with the game tied 20-20, when Vontae Davis makes an exceptional play down the sideline and pass interference is called on T.J. Green, who isn’t actually on the field. Then, down 23-20 (after a long Tennessee field goal), Hilton snags his second touchdown of the day but Gore gets called for a strange illegal shift.
The final Indianapolis drive is a thing of beauty, though. Doyle pulls off the Gritty Play of the Day when he grabs a tipped pass, gets hammered back two yards, and still runs for a first down and more. He, Hilton, and Frank Gore power the Colts deep into Tennessee territory and Doyle finished the drive off with a very Dallas-Clark-ian catch-and-roll.
The game ends one play later, when T.Y. McGill strip-sacks Marcus Mariota and Robert Mathis runs the ball in for a touchdown. It’s reminiscent of Indy’s loss to Denver, but in reverse.
Tennessee would kick a late field goal but can’t come up with the onside kick. Final score: 34-26, Colts.
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POSTGAME
Andrew Luck – 27/39, 353 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
Frank Gore – 17 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD (receiving)
T.Y. Hilton – 7 catches, 133 yards, 1 TD
Andrew Luck had another outstanding game, going for 300 yards and multiple TDs for the third time this season. He protected the ball much better than usual as well; the only real knock on Indy’s offense was their struggle on third down, whereon they went 4 for 10.
Tennessee, conversely, were 8 for 12 at one point and finished the game 9 for 15. Indy’s defense blew a 3rd and 15 and a 3rd and 19 on the same drive late in the game, allowing Tennessee’s offense to pull ahead early in the fourth. It was a mixed bag overall; only McNary was objectively terrible, but every other Colt defender made a couple big plays, along with some brutal mistakes. The game ball on defense probably goes to McGill, Indy’s second-year nose tackle. He not only caused the game-clinching fumble, but broke up a few other plays throughout the game (for a nice little piece of film, look up McGill’s hit during a botched pass attempt to Demarco Murray in the third).
Next week the Colts play Kansas City at home. The Chiefs represent the hardest opponent Indy’s played since Denver in week 2. The Colts, now 3-4, could move back into division contention with a win and some help Monday Night but the next two games will be telling: after the Chiefs and Packers the Colts have a bye, and could be 5-4 with the division lead, or 3-6 with little hope of a postseason berth.
As usual, the brink will have to do.
Player of the Game Not Named Andrew Luck – Jack Doyle (9 catches / 78 yards / 1 TD)
Doyle was exceptional today. He provided Luck a mismatch in pass coverage, and was targeted ten times for nine completions and the game-winning touchdown. Indy’s backup tight end now has 204 yards receiving on the season, five fewer than the rest of his career combined.
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