Colts vs. Titans: Thursday Night Football Preview and Predictions
By AJ Olona
Thursday, Nov. 12 at 8:20 p.m. ET
NFL Network
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The Colts get their first primetime game of the season, being on a Thursday night and away in Tennessee. This game has huge implications for the AFC South going forward. A win here could put the Colts right back in the race for the first spot atop the division and right back in the playoff picture. After losing last week to the Baltimore Ravens, the Colts sit at 5-3 on the year and are currently on the outside looking in at the AFC playoff picture. The Titans finally got back in the win category last week against the Chicago Bears. A win here against the Colts would put some much-needed space between them for the division lead. This is an important matchup between the two, the first that we will see in just 17 days from this game.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have been a rollercoaster of a team this season. When they have had highs, they have looked like one of the best teams in the league. We have seen the consistent, elite play from their defense, and we have also seen their offense fire on all cylinders at times this season as well. But when the Colts have been low, they have been low. All three of the Colts losses have been very frustrating to watch. The Colts offense has been so hit or miss this season, and they have consistently slugged behind that elite defensive unit for most of the games this year.
Colts Offense
The Colts offense has been so frustrating to watch. We have seen games from 38-year old veteran Philip Rivers that shows that he can do enough to keep this team competitive, yet we have also seen the same old Rivers that we were used to in San Diego. One that makes costly decisions late in the game to consistently hurt his team. It does not help that the Colts are really struggling to run the ball this season as well. When starter Marlon Mack tore his Achilles in Week 1 this year, many believed talented rookie Jonathan Taylor would emerge as a star for the Colts. That has not been the case. While Taylor has shown tremendous spurts of talent this season, he has also very much looked like a rookie. The Colts have seemingly started to lose faith in the rookie as for two weeks in a row we have seen Jordan Wilkins receive a majority of the carries for this offense. When it comes to passing the ball, the Colts have struggled to find any consistent play from both their wide receivers and tight ends. T.Y. Hilton has once again been banged up this year and has failed to produce at a level that we are used to. Going into this game, the Colts mustn’t shoot themselves in the foot. Their top 3 defense is going to be able to give them a chance in this game. It is simply up to the Colts to control the time and be careful with the ball. If Rivers can avoid any costly turnovers in the second half of this game, the Colts will have a chance to get back on track.
Colts Defense
Darius Leonard finished Week 9 with 15 tackles and a fumble recovery. (USA TODAY Sports)
Week in and week out we have seen the Colts play extremely high-level football. They are in the top three in every major defensive category so far this season and they have consistently come up clutch in big moments. The Colts are one of the best teams at stopping the run this season, and that is going to be huge for this matchup. The addition of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in the offseason has been huge for this front seven in Indianapolis, as it has helped elevate everyone else around him. We all know at this point how talented Darius Leonard is. He has consistently shown up in each game, especially when his team needs it the most. Last week against the Ravens, Leonard finished with 15 tackles, and a very key fumble recovery. A player that has really benefitted from playing next to Buckner is nose tackle, Grover Stewart. While Stewart played well last year, he has been a star in 2020. He is one of the reasons that the Colts run defense is so good. If the Colts are going to want a chance to win this game, they are going to need to slow down Derrick Henry early. The more touches that Henry gets, the more he wears down defenses. This Colts team has been up to the task each game so far, but this will be their toughest task thus far in determining if the Colts team is legit.
Tennessee Titans
After starting 5-0 this season, the Titans stumbled a bit, losing two games in a row, including a bad loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Titans won a much-needed game a week ago against the Chicago Bears, putting them back atop the AFC South. So far this year, the Titans have shown that they can hang with any team. The Titans are well rounded on defense, and on offense, they have shown that they can break you down with Derrick Henry’s legs, or with the arm of Ryan Tannehill, or even a combination of the two. The Titans desperately need a win in this game. The Colts are entering a gauntlet of matches for the next month of the season, and a win here for the Titans will go a long way distancing themselves from their toughest competitors.
Titans Offense
As previously mentioned, the Colts are one of the most well-rounded offenses in the entire league. It is well documented just how good Derrick Henry is at running the football. Even after a down week in Chicago a week ago, Henry still has 843 rushing yards on the year, only behind Dalvin Cook. The real underappreciated part of this offense is just how well Ryan Tannehill has been since becoming the starter in Nashville. With Tannehill being able to spread the ball around to so many different receivers on the team, it makes it hard for opposing defenses to dial in on what to do. Second-year stud, A.J. Brown has been playing great once again this year. After somewhat of a slow start to the season, Brown has once again shown why he was so good as a rookie last year. The Titans are coming into this game with the plan to run the ball right down the middle of the field all game long. As we have seen before, if Derrick Henry is successful, this Titans team will likely follow.
Titans Defense
Desmond King scores a 63-yard touchdown in his Titans debut. (USA TODAY Sports)
While the Titans defense has been very up and down this season, they are a much more rounded team than it appears on paper. When looking at how they have performed this season, they are currently allowing the sixth-most passing yards in the entire league. That is why we saw the Titans make a move to acquire defensive back Desmond King from the Los Angeles Chargers last week just before the trade deadline. In his first week of action, King was able to recover a fumble and take it 63-yards for a touchdown to help his team be in a position to win the game. While King gets more and more comfortable in the Titans defense, we will see him have even more of an impact going forward. Adoree’ Jackson was also recently activated off of the injured reserve, but he will not play in this game. The Titans will be getting back edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who is finally set to return to action from injury for this game. The Titans should have an easy time slowing the game down and keeping things in front of them. The Colts offense does not do anything particularly great and is somewhat of an unintimidating group. Philip Rivers can sling the ball around when he wants to, but at 38-years old, we aren’t likely seeing him do that in this game. The main key for this Titans team will be to cause the Colts to turn the ball over. If they can have them do that, they will have a good chance on defense.
The Prediction
While most people are looking for the Titans to dominate this game, it is going to be much closer than we think. The Colts and Titans always have close encounters, and with there already being playoff implications for this one, look for both teams to come out firing. This game is going to simply come down to two things for each team; whether or not the Colts can slow down Derrick Henry, and whether or not the Titans can force turnovers on defense.
AJ’S PREDICTION: Colts 27 - 17
CADE’S PREDICTION: Colts 14 - 7
JAKE’S PREDICTION: Tie 14 - 14
TIMOTHY’S PREDICTION: Colts 24 - 21
SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Titans 24 - 21
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