Titans fans are still euphoric after last week’s road victory over the division rival Jaguars. Those good feelings carry over into Week Two as the Tennessee Titans play host to another division rival, the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
A win Sunday would give the Titans a 2-0 division record and leave the Colts, Jaguars and Texans winless within the division. The Colts looked impressive in Week One with a 41-10 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Field: Grass. Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 78°. Wind northeast around 5 mph.
Colts Scouting Report:
Overview – Despite three personnel changes on offense, the Colts look to be as dangerous as ever. Although they’ve also lost some good players on defense, they’re still extremely active and quick to the ball. Indy has to be considered one of the favorites to advance deep into postseason play once again.
Offense – Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne looked as sharp as ever in the win over the Saints. Joseph Addai takes over as the full-time running back and the Colts shouldn’t miss a beat there. First round draft pick Anthony Gonzalez replaces Brandon Stokley as the slot receiver, which may prove to be an upgrade before the year is over. The only dropoff may be at left tackle, where rookie Tony Ugoh steps in for the retired Tarik Glenn.
Defense – Quite a few starters are missing from last year, including CBs Nick Harper and Jason David, DTs Montae Reagor and Booger McFarland, and LBs Cato June and Gilbert Gardner. They still have the stars of their defense though. DE Dwight Freeney is a game changer as a premier pass rusher. Remember how the Colts defense was having problems in the middle of last season? That all changed when playmaknig safety Bob Sanders returned to the lineup. The Titans know it will be a different ball game trying to run the ball with Sanders in there. Coach Tony Dungy still favors playing his familiar Tampa-2 defense.
Keys for the Titans – 1) As always against Indy, Tennessee needs to be able to run the ball effectively to gain a time of possession advantage. Ball control drives are especially desirable to keep the Colts offense on the sidelines.
2) The Titans need to be more efficient in the red zone, scoring touchdowns instead of field goals. The Titans scored only 13 points last week from four trips inside the Jacksonville 10-yard line. That won’t cut it this week.
3) The Titans have had recent success by allowing the Colts moderate ground gains while trying not to give up the deep pass. They’ll have to continue that, but you can bet Manning will try to pick on FS Calvin Lowry.
Matchups to watch – There are a lot to choose from. Harper vs Harrison and Cortland Finnegan vs Wayne. RDE Kyle Vanden Bosch will test the rookie LT Ugoh. On offense, LT Michael Roos hopes to have another decent day against Freeney. Guards Benji Olson and Jacob Bell should do well against the Colts new DTs. I’m looking forward to the first head-on collision between LenDale White and Sanders.
Last meeting – Vince Young led the Titans to another come from behind win and Rob Bironas kicked a 60-yard field goal in the final seconds for a 20-17 win.
Prediction – The Titans held Indy to only 31 combined points in two meetings last year, a number the Colts usually score in one game. Can the Titans defense hold the score down again? Can the offense put more points on the board?
Colts 20
Titans 17
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