The streak of not winning the AFC South since 2014 looks like it will be kept alive for the Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1) after losing for the fifth straight time to the Tennessee Titans. (4-2).
The sweep by Tennessee gives them the tie-breaker. Plus, Indy now has a 1-3-1 divisional record. This is such a significant loss this early in the season because their playoff hopes will likely have to be through a wildcard berth.
The offense was a reflection of what it has been most of the season. Struggling in pass protection and was marred by turnovers.
The Colts’ defense certainly did its part. Derrick Henry did Derrick Henry things throughout the game but they didn’t give up a touchdown and held the Titans offense to 12 points.
The season is far from over for Indianapolis but this loss feels like a gut punch to the franchise. Where do they go from here? Who knows, but here are my five takeaways from the loss:
1
Turnovers were a killer
After playing their cleanest game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts’ offense followed it up with another multiple-turnover performance against the Titans. The offense had their typical slow start in the first half but started to get some positive things going for them on their third drive of the game. That’s when Matt Ryan’s first interception really opened up the game for Tennessee.
A free defender running at Ryan leads to him making a quick read and Andrew Adams jumps on the ball for the pick-six.
PICK 6️⃣!! @AndrewAdams33 takes it to the house. @Titans
📺: #INDvsTEN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/Gyn0EpEP0n pic.twitter.com/cL4mSCGujh— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
This play was so costly for the Colts. It put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. On the very next drive, the offense was once again moving the ball but Ryan made a very questionable throw that resulted in his second turnover.
INTERCEPTED AGAIN! @davidlongjr now has INTs in back-to-back games 😮
📺: #INDvsTEN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/Gyn0EpEP0n pic.twitter.com/sd1drc2XjX— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
Ryan leads the NFL with his 12 turnovers this season. The Titans got 10 of their 19 points off of those two interceptions. The final turnover came on a Micheal Pittman Jr. third down catch when Terrance Mitchell was able to punch the ball out of his hands. Amani Hooker was able to jump on the ball and that was the final play for the Indianapolis offense.
This team won’t win a lot of games going forward if they keep losing the turnover battle like this.
2
Titans defensive front dominated the trenches
This was a rough day in the office for the Colts’ offensive line. The combination of Jeffrey Simmons, Denico Autry, and Bud Dupree gave them fits throughout the afternoon. Jonathan Taylor was able to pop off some runs to average 5.8 yards per carry but it was tight rushing lanes for him and the rest of the backs.
As a team, Indianapolis averaged 3.8 yards per carry and only ran for 65 yards. Similar to the turnovers, after giving up zero sacks last week, Matt Ryan was under duress once again. The effort was led by Simmons who had six tackles (three solo), two TFLs, two QB hits, and a sack.
Autry and Dupree each got a sack as well which gave their defense a total of three. But they were getting their hands on Ryan often. Mike Vrabel’s defensive unit was able to get 10 QB hits to end the game. That makes 15 QB hits in the two games these teams faced this season.
The lack of consistent pass protection has plagued this team and it won’t get any easier when the Washington Commanders’ defensive front visits next week.
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3. The defense showed up
Gus Bradley’s defense certainly did its part in Nashville today. Anytime you can hold a team under 20 points that are a game that your team should have found a way to win. Derrick Henry would break off some runs but the Colts did a good job at tightening up when the Titans would get into scoring position.
They would put the Titans in third-and-long situations which helped force the field goals and punts. Tennessee went five of 12 on third downs. Even though they held up when it mattered, Henry still had over 100 rushing yards and finished with a total of 138 yards.
As I mentioned, the Indianapolis defense only gave up 12 points so all they needed from the offense was to protect the ball and score a couple of touchdowns to win this game. It should’ve been 9 points if it wasn’t for one of the most ridiculous catches I have ever seen by Austin Hooper.
Holy hooper! @AustinHooper18 somehow kept this ball – must be that #NationalTightEndsDay magic🪄
📺: #INDvsTEN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/Gyn0EpEP0n pic.twitter.com/1JCy7D2byN— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
That came on a third down and led to the Titans’ final field goal. It gave them the 19-10 lead with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter. The defense’s effort was led by Grover Stewart. The defensive tackle has been awesome this season for Gus Bradley. He ended his day with 12 tackles (7 solo).
Indianapolis did force one turnover but that came off a bobbled exchange between Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis.
Holy hooper! @AustinHooper18 somehow kept this ball – must be that #NationalTightEndsDay magic🪄
📺: #INDvsTEN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/Gyn0EpEP0n pic.twitter.com/1JCy7D2byN— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
Bobby Okereke jumped on it for the recovery. He was pretty active today with 10 tackles (6 solo) and two pass deflections. It wasn’t a dominant effort by the defense but they did everything they could to have a chance to win it in the fourth quarter.
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4. Big day for Parris Campbell
It can be hard to look for the positives in a loss like this for the Colts and for how the offense looked for most of the game but you can’t help but not to feel happy for Parris Campbell. The veteran of the receiving group is looking as healthy as he has ever been and is starting to thrive for the offense.
Campbell led the way in the passing attack and was Matt Ryan’s favorite target today. He did a good job at helping pick up first downs and would even take on contact to do so. This has been a long-time coming for Campbell after missing most of his first three seasons in the NFL.
He’s starting to emerge within the offense and is finding himself in the slot role that Frank Reich has him in. Campbell ended his day with 10 receptions for 70 yards and got the only touchdown that Indianapolis scored today.
Parris Campbell is having a day for the #Colts. 9 receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown so far.pic.twitter.com/Wu0Ma0g6Hx
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) October 23, 2022
In his last two games, he has a total of 17 receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 23 targets. There needs to be more scoring from the offense but if you squint your eyes enough the Colts may have something in the trio of Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Campbell going forward.
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5. Do the Colts need a new punter?
Chris Ballard showed earlier this season that he is willing to make a change if the kicking part of the game isn’t up to par when he released Rodrigo Blankenship. Is it time to work out some punters and consider moving on from Matt Haack? He hasn’t played his best recently and is coming off his worst performance as a Colt.
Four of his five punt attempts were less than 33 yards and three of those were less than 30 yards. His errant punts were brutal when the Colts had an opportunity to pin the Titans deep in their own territory.
He had one at the Tennessee 49-yard line that went 29 yards. That should’ve been pinned at least inside the 20-yard line. At the end of the first half, his 27-yard punt from the Indianapolis 45-yard line gave the Titans enough cushion to consider trying for points before halftime. A quick Yannick Ngakoue sack did end that thought.
Overall, Haack averaged 35.2 YPP and had no punts that finished inside the 20-yard line. His longest of the day was a 60-yarder that ended in a touchback from the Indianapolis 40-yard line. Field position is such a crucial part of the game so if Haack keeps failing to help win that element of football then Ballard should start looking at some options.
