Mistake-prone Titans lose to Colts 27-17

Mistakes at inopportune times doomed the Tennessee Titans as their five-game winning streak was snapped by the still undefeated Indianapolis Colts 27-17. Fresh off a crucial drop in the waning moments against the Cards last week, Nate Washington’s stone hands reared their ugly head again as he failed to make the grab on a would-be 65-yard touchdown in the first half. Failing to score on three red zone chances also played a key role in preventing the Titans from continuing their winning ways. More thoughts on today’s disappointing Titan loss…after the jump. I’m going to recap today’s game Clint Eastwood-style. The Good The subject of a recent article, Kenny Britt continued his stellar play with a solid performance. He only caught three passes today, but they went for 46 yards and a score. He would have had another TD on a crucial 4th and goal but unfortunately, he landed with the ball out of bounds. I know that Jeff Fisher’s loves his veterans, but I’ll reiterate what I stated in last week’s article: This young man is going to be a stud for years to come and it’s pointless to keep him on the sidelines, regardless of whether or not Justin Gage is healthy. Of course, we can’t mention the positives without at least giving some props to all-world RB Chris Johnson. Sure, the Colts speedy defense did a great job of closing in on CJ and preventing big plays. However, for most running backs, a 27 carry, 113 yard performance is a pretty good day. With the team’s improbable dream of making the playoffs all but over, CJ’s race to 2,000 will be the one of the key headlines as we wind down the 2009 season. The Bad Color me not impressed by Chuck Cecil’s defense today. Sure, the Titans were facing Peyton Manning, who like CJ, is an all-world performer at his position. However, the Titan defense did little to stop #18 today as they failed to generate a whole lot of pressure, as indicated by their 0 sack performance. The run defense wasn’t that great either, allowing Joseph Addai to scamper for 79 yards and two scores. The playmaking ways of the defense that led to the Titans improved performance after their dreadful 0-6 start were non-existant today. As many other NFL franchises have found out, if you allow Peyton Manning all the time in the world to pass the football without getting his jersey dirty, your going to be in for a long day, folks. The Ugly We have to start this portion of the recap by mentioning the poor play of one of Jeff Fisher’s favorite veterans: Nick Harper. On a day when Cortland Finnegan held All-pro WR Reggie Wayne to a pedestrian 4 catches for 48 yards, Harper was torched constantly by the unlikeliest of heroes; emerging Colts WR Pierre Garcon, for 6 grabs and 136 yards. I’m not going to spend too much time on Harper’s shoddy play, due to my desire to provide lengthier commentary on Fisher’s ill-fated decision to play him ahead of Rod Hood sometime in the very near future. Stay tuned, folks. Other ugly moments in today’s loss: Ahmard Hall’s costly fumble, Nate Washington’s aforementioned weekly huge-drop and Tony Brown’s bone-headed 15-yard penalty that led to three points for the Colts prior to the half. Final Random Thoughts Vince didn’t have his best day, but I liked the resilience he showed out there today. A few things went horribly wrong for the Titans on the afternoon, but IMHO, outside of his interception, Vince Young’s play wasn’t one of them. In addition to his prowess as the WR position, Kenny Britt isn’t too shabby of a kick returner either. He averaged 35 yards per return on the day, including a 56-yarder. A bit of an injury risk to have him back there, but nonetheless, it’s nice to finally have someone returning kicks who can consistently set up the offense with some decent field position. It was briefly mentioned earlier, but I’ll say it again: Cortland Finnegan did a great job of containing Reggie Wayne. After a horrible start to the season mostly due to a lingering hamstring injury, Finny is once again performing at a Pro Bowl level. I want to see more Lavelle Hawkins in the passing game. He’s slowly making strides and showing some signs of becoming a productive WR. Well, the win-streak was good while it lasted, so it’s back to reality: The Titans are most likely going to be home during the playoffs this year. As a result, I’m hopeful that we’ll see more of young guys such as Hawkins, the enigma known as Jared Cook and Gerald McRath as we march towards the end of the ’09 campaign. That’s it for me, folks. What are your thoughts regarding the Titans’ loss to the Colts?