- The Colts were better than Titans on the road, 34-17
- They solved the match in the third period, breaking Tennessee, who made several mistakes.
- Philip Rivers passed Dan Marino to reach No.5 on the all-time passing list.
Colts Take a Massive Victory in Nashville
An already interesting battle in the AFC South just got better, as Indianapolis Colts defeated the Tennessee Titans in their house, at the Nissan Stadium. The final result of Thursday’s matchup was 34-17 for the visitors, who now have the same record as the Titans, 6-3, but await the divisional rivals in their next meeting.
The crucial part of the game was the third period. That was when Titans fell apart, allowing two touchdowns, both as direct consequences of their mistakes. The first one took place immediately following a poor punt.
Instead of getting the football deep into the Colts’ territory, Trevor Daniel’s punt was 17 yards long. The punishment was swift and cruel, with Nyheim Hines rushing for a TD. With under a minute later, the Titans wanted to punt the ball once again, but this time Daniel was blocked, and TJ Carrie reached the ball first, adding another touchdown for the Colts. It was a knockout from which the Titans couldn’t recover.
“It pretty much spoke for itself, them getting the ball where they did. They got inside the 30-yard line one time and they got it in the end zone the other,” Mike Vrabel, Titans’ head coach, stated regarding the punts.
Also, his QB Ryan Tannehill was not good at all, recording just 147 yards, 15-for-27, for one TD, towards Jonnu Smith. D’Onta Foreman added the second for the Titans’ on the ground. Derrick Henry had 103 in 19 reps, and Corey Davies caught five passes for 67 yards.
Overall, the Titans were far below the expected level of play.
Rivers Passes Marino
Dan Marino is no longer No.5 on the all-time passing list, as Philip Rivers eclipsed the former Miami Dolphins’ legend. After throwing for 308 yards against Tennessee last night, Rivers reached 61,666 yards to continue his progress towards the top. Ahead of the Colts’ QB are Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
“He’s just really good in that mode,” Reich said. “Very accurate, good checks in the run game, he was really in it tonight,” Frank Reich spoke about his starting QB.
Rivers threw just one TD pass, and it was towards Hines, who had one more score, the above-mentioned once he carried the ball into the end zone. He is the only player in the league with multiple matches with both rushing and receiving touchdown.
Also, Indianapolis has five defensive and special team scores since the start of the campaign, the highest in the NFL.
Hines had 115 yards from the scrimmage, Michael Pittman 101, through the air.
The Colts head back home to host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers before clashing with the Titans once more. Tennessee has a very tough game in Baltimore against the Ravens, who beat the Colts last week, 10-24.
