The Indianapolis Colts (7-5) extended their winning streak to four games with a 31-28 overtime win against the Tennessee Titans (4-8) on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
It wasn’t pretty throughout the game, especially as the Colts were down 17-7 coming out of halftime and then were forced to kick three consecutive field goals on their first three drives to open the second half.
But the Colts were able to prevail thanks to some big plays on special teams. They blocked two consecutive punts, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Even after the Titans scored a field goal on their drive to open overtime, the Colts answered with a clutch touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr. (more about him below) to seal the win and sweep the season series against Tennessee for the first time since 2018.
Here’s a look at the studs and duds from the Week 13 divisional win:
STUD: WR Michael Pittman Jr.
Our player of the game, Pittman continues to shine as the alpha in the passing attack. He has five consecutive games with at least eight receptions and nine such games on the season as a whole. The offense would have gone nowhere without him on Sunday, and he’s been the most consistent player on either side of the ball for Indy this season.
DUD: RB Zack Moss
To be fair to Moss, this is just as much on the offensive line as it is on him. Throughout the game, the Colts offensive line struggled to generate any sort of push against Tennessee’s defensive front even after Jeffery Simmons exited the game due to an injury. Moss wound up taking 19 carries for 51 rushing yards despite seeing a stacked box on just 10.5% of his carries, according to Next Gen Stats. The Colts can and should continue to feature Moss as the primary back amid Jonathan Taylor’s absence. It was just tough sledding, and he didn’t get much help from the offensive line.
STUD: WR Alec Pierce
Finally, the Colts were able to get the deep ball going with Pierce on the other end. He got things started with a 36-yard touchdown reception on the opening drive. Though the rest of regulation was quiet for the second-year wideout, he came through when it mattered most in overtime when he hauled in a 55-yard reception to set up the walk-off touchdown. His two long receptions accounted for Gardner Minshew’s deepest completions by air yards this season. Getting Pierce going would pay huge dividends down the stretch.
DUD: Run defense
Fortunately, Grover Stewart will be returning to the lineup in Week 14. The Colts may not have been able to survive much longer without him. As expected, the Titans had their way with the Colts’ front seven when running the ball. Derrick Henry was on his way to vintage performance before leaving due to a concussion, and he still posted a 21-102-2 rushing line. His replacement, rookie Tyjae Spears, was torching the Colts as well. He took 16 carries for 75 rushing yards. In all, the Colts allowed 177 rushing yards, the second-most of the season.
STUD: DE Samson Ebukam
Ebukam has quickly turned into one of Chris Ballard’s best free-agent signings. He currently leads the team with 8.0 sacks and is second with 13 quarterback hits. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded a 25.9% pass-rush win rate and was tied for the team lead in total pressures on the day. He also added a forced fumble that was recovered by Julian Blackmon, who then immediately fumbled, giving the ball back to the Titans.
STUDLY DUD: QB Gardner Minshew
There are studs, and there are duds. Then, some didn’t quite stand out enough to be a stud, but they also didn’t perform so terribly that they’d be labeled a dud. Minshew’s performance on Sunday perfectly encapsulates that idea. On paper, Minshew was fine. He completed 26-of-42 passes for 312 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 100.5 passer rating. But those who watched the game saw a quarterback who was inconsistent throughout the entire contest, often late going through his progressions and pulling the trigger. With that said, he still did enough to help get the Colts the win, and he got the job done in overtime.
STUDLY DUD: CB Jaylon Jones
In total, Jones has been fantastic for the Colts this season. A seventh-round pick isn’t expected to make the roster let alone thrive in a starting role as a boundary cornerback. Still, he had some rookie moments on Sunday. He crashed too hard on Derrick Henry’s first touchdown run, allowing the mammoth back to get to the edge and turn upfield. He also will be credited for allowing the touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins after he and Nick Cross failed to switch in time. However, Jones still added a pass breakup and provided some sticky coverage at other points during the game so it wasn’t a complete disaster.
