Colts @ Titans
Final Score: Colts 20, Titans 17
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
This was no classic between two flawed football teams chipping away at each other for four quarters looking for the other to make a mistake and open the door to victory. Joe Flacco led the Indianapolis Colts once again in the absence of sophomore signal-caller Anthony Richardson, who was suited up on the sidelines as the emergency quarterback. The Colts struggled to move the ball consistently on the ground without an effective run game, Jonathan Taylor missing his second straight game due to an ankle injury. The success they did have through the air early faded away with the Titans shifting their scheme to adapt – they also put Flacco under heavy pressure in the pocket with Harold Landry Jr. outstanding off the edge.
The Titans’ defensive dominance allowed young Will Levis to lean on his rushing attack for much of the game and stay away from the “bonehead plays” that his coach Brian Callahan has called out publicly over the past weeks. Levis had a few nervy moments and didn’t look anywhere near accomplished as a passer, but Tony Pollard stepped up for Tennessee against a vulnerable Colts run defense to carry the ball into the end zone on 3rd-&-19 on a draw run play and give his team a seven-point lead in the third quarter.
The Colts answered back with a field goal before a huge defensive pass interference penalty on L’Jarius Sneed gave Flacco an opportunity to throw to the end zone and he found Michael Pittman Jr. to put Indianapolis ahead midway through the fourth quarter. Now was the time that Levis had to step up but as we have seen so far this season he has struggled under pressure; on a deep ball going for it all, he was easily picked off. The Colts ran down the clock and eked out a narrow, gritty win.
Two Up
- Tony Pollard – the only effective piece of the Titans offense, Pollard had a productive game on the ground and enjoyed a monopoly on carries as Tyjae Spears left early with a hamstring strain. Hit paydirt for the third time this season.
- Josh Downs – the elusive wideout was used extensively across the formation as Flacco ensured he got the ball to his favorite target to move the sticks. Downs has led the Colts in targets and catches for three straight games.
Two Down
- Will Levis – even with his coach minimizing the risk of Levis making a blunder, he still managed to turn the ball over at a key point in the game, throwing the ball for just 83 yards in the air in the meantime. “Game over, man. Game over!”
- Calvin Ridley – the wideout was targeted eight times but failed to register a catch as he was partly to blame but also suffered from horrible quarterback play. Ridley has just two catches for 14 yards in the last three games.
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
Joe Flacco: 22/38, 189 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 1 Carry, 1 Yard
There is a world where veteran signal-caller Flacco is allowed to continue to deal for the rest of the season in this Colts offense, which looks ready-made for his ability to be accurate at every level. Flacco opens up Shane Steichen‘s passing playbook in a way that young franchise quarterback Richardson cannot. However, the Colts’ inability to move the ball up the field rushing at times in this game limited his effectiveness on passing downs, often facing third-and-long under pressure. When it mattered in the fourth quarter, however, Flacco manufactured an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to put his team in the lead by floating up a “go get it” ball for Pittman that the receiver towered up above his marker to grab. It remains to be seen whether Flacco will make way for Richardson for a big matchup against Miami next week.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1845548321429159958
Notes
- Executed a masterful 10-play, 70-yard opening drive for a score as he carved up the Titans’ defense before hitting Downs in the back of the end zone with the most beautiful back shoulder fade for a touchdown.
- Surprisingly wasn’t allowed to throw the ball once with the Colts at the Titans’ 4-yard line on 1st-&-Goal – three straight rushes up the middle were stuffed by Tennessee and Steichen disappointingly settled for a field goal.
Missed opportunities
- A badly overthrown ball over the middle on the Colts’ second drive was easily picked off by Armani Hooker and run back deep into Colts territory – the Titans tied the game two plays later with a touchdown.
- Flacco had two interceptions wiped away by penalty with one being another dangerous throw over the middle that bounced up and off the helmet of his receiver, who was adjudged to have been impeded by early contact.
Running Back
Tyler Goodson: 8 Carries, 51 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 14 Yards
After making a couple of eye-catching plays last week in the narrow loss to Jacksonville, Tyler Goodson showed enough on a big 33-yard run late in the first half to take most of the work out of the backfield in the second half. Goodson didn’t repeat that success, however, as his other seven carries went for just 18 yards. He did catch four of his five checkdowns from Flacco with Sermon seeing zero targets in the game. This backfield is one to avoid with Taylor out. With no stand-out runner, both Goodson and Sermon will become irrelevant once Taylor returns.
Trey Sermon: 18 Carries, 29 Yards
Benefitting from the absence of an injured Taylor, Sermon got the start and was inefficient on the ground for an offense that preferred to try and move the chains through the air in the first half. The former third-round selection of the 49ers back in 2022 has found a home with the Colts in a backup role and made his mark early in this game with two third-down conversions on the opening scoring drive. However, with the Colts struggling to sustain drives Sermon saw Goodsen takeover in the second half after a couple of highlight plays that showed more explosiveness. Sermon averaged just 1.6 yards per carry.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Josh Downs: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 66 Yards, TD
As it has been since Flacco took over at quarterback, Downs was the go-to receiver early and often in the short-to-intermediate passing game. Leading the team in targets, catches, and yardage, the 2023 third-round pick also put the cherry on top with an early score from a beautiful spiral from his quarterback. Fantasy managers will be thrilled with the production from Downs in the flex spot over the past couple of weeks but it has to be noted that when Richardson has been under center, Downs has been almost irrelevant as a fantasy option. Enjoy it while it lasts but Downs has certainly proved he can be a playmaker at this level.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1845513199447355775
Mo Allie-Cox: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 41 Yards
The big tight end was sparingly involved with Richardson under center but he is enjoying more of a role with Flacco at quarterback. A well-run route over the middle was perfectly executed by Allie-Cox, who took a big hit to the back but still managed to hang on and haul in a 22-yard grab to set up the Colts’ first touchdown of the day. Working between the numbers and over the middle, the large unit caught three more passes and showed nice hands on a contested grab on the Colts’ field goal drive in the third quarter.
Michael Pittman: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 35 Yards, TD
Tormenting fantasy managers all week with his injury designations (he went from doubtful, to going on injured reserve, to questionable, to logging a full practice on Friday), Pittman took the first completion of the game for nine yards and finished the run strong by driving into contact showing no limitations with his back injury. He was hardly sighted for long periods, however, as Flacco preferred safer options and the Colts failed to sustain drives–punting on five of their ten drives. He came up big in the fourth quarter by out-jumping Sneed on a jump ball to secure what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown grab. Fantasy managers who did roll the dice on Pittman were made to wait but ended up breathing a big sigh of relief.
Drew Ogletree: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards
Adonai Mitchell: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
Another disappointing day for rookie second-round pick Adonai Mitchell, who outside of a nice grab for nine yards did not factor into this offensive game plan once again. After seeing more targets last week, Mitchell may have been punished for a bad drop in a key spot against the Jaguars but he still saw four targets on a relatively low snap count.
Alec Pierce: 4 Targets
After a huge 134-yard week on just three catches last week, Alec Pierce went from boom to bust as he failed to haul in a catch. It wasn’t for lack of trying as Pierce stood out for his route running and speed. Not only did Flacco miss him on a wide-open deep, ball but he also drew a 34-yard penalty as the Colts tried to work their way back into the game trailing by seven points midway through the fourth quarter. That play set up the game-winning score to Pittman. Let’s hope for boom again next week!
Kylen Granson: 1 Target
Ashton Dulin: 1 Target
Will Mallory: 1 Target
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
Will Levis: 15/26, 83 Yards, TD, INT | 3 Carries, 15 Yards
Can Levis just please complete a game without a meme-able incident? Despite the young quarterback being very much under orders as a game manager to keep things safe and simple, he still managed to crash into the sidelines and take out a ball boy who had to be carted off with a leg injury as the game was delayed. Levis can’t stay out of the negative spotlight. In terms of his performance, anytime an NFL quarterback throws for just 83 total yards, the result is never good. Completing just 15 passes, he often checked down to safe passes and handed off the ball at will to his running backs. He did make a couple of key throws to move the sticks on scoring drives, none more important than a nice sideline throw to hit Treylon Burks for a first down on fourth down with pressure up in his face on the opening drive of the second half. But, with the game on the line he turned the ball over again with a poor throw deep down the right sideline that gave safety Julian Blackmon far too much time to come over and make the play. He is a liability for this team, and to put in a performance like this after a bye week to reset and establish a plan is troubling.
Notes
- Took advantage of positive field position after the Titans defense turned the ball over on a first-quarter interception by throwing a lovely floated pass to the back corner of the end zone to find Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for his first catch and touchdown of the season.
- Nearly turned the ball over in the red zone under heavy pressure in the pocket with an ill-advised looper over the middle that bounced out of the hands of Colts defensive back Blackmon when he hit the ground. It was the type of throw that had driven Callahan mad over the first month of the season.
Running Back
Tony Pollard: 17 Carries, 93 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, -5 Yards
As Callahan pivots to a rushing approach for this offense due to his quarterback’s tendency to turn over the football, former Cowboys running back Pollard has been the main beneficiary. Establishing himself as the clear lead back, Pollard backed up his 22 carries the week before the Titans bye with another 20 total touches in this game. Pollard showed his toughness between the tackles and his ability to fight for yards after contact with a collection of power runs in the first half. He was probably as surprised as anyone to find space on a 3rd-&-19 to rumble in for a 23-yard score. Pollard worked nicely around the linebackers and forced a missed tackle to record his second straight game with a rushing touchdown.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1845539157734769114
Tyjae Spears: 6 Carries, 27 Yards
After running six times for just 27 yards in the first half by spelling Pollard and being on the field on third downs, Spears left the game on the Titans’ first drive of the second half and did not return with a hamstring injury. Spears saw an increased role before the Titans bye and showed his worth with his first touchdown of the season. However, he was again second fiddle to Pollard for much of this contest before exiting. He also disappointingly did not see a target out of the backfield either.
Julius Chestnut: 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DeAndre Hopkins: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 38 Yards
A professional performance from veteran DeAndre Hopkins, who must be one of the most frustrated receivers in football right now. Hopkins caught three of five targets for 38 yards and led the team in catches and yards. That isn’t a good thing but he also drew two defensive penalties thanks to his route-running prowess. It is hard to see any fantasy relevance in a passing offense that has failed to muster over 100 yards over the last two games.
Tyler Boyd: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards
Chig Okonkwo: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 10 Yards
Treylon Burks: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Coming into the game with just three catches on the season, former first-round selection Burks popped up with a key grab on fourth down on the Titans’ go-ahead touchdown drive at the start of the third quarter. It was his only catch of the game and he was seen on the sideline being worked on with an injury to his shoulder.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 9 Yards, TD
After mainly contributing on special teams through the first month of the season, wideout Westbrook-Ikhine was looking to impress after not seeing more than 26% of offensive snaps in any of the first four games. He immediately made an impression by burning his marker at the goal line and hauling in a floated ball in the end zone for a wide-open six. He was only targeted one more time throughout the contest. Inexplicable!
Calvin Ridley: 8 Targets | 1 Carry, 9 Yards
Despite leading the team in targets, Ridley’s first impression on the stat line was a rush midway through the third quarter. The fallibility of Levis and the lack of creativity in Callahan’s offense are not serving Ridley well, who is looking increasingly like another fantasy fade despite yet another change of scenery.
Josh Whyle: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards