The Colts travel to the friendly confines of Nissan Stadium to renew their everlasting rivalry with the Tennessee Titans. Indianapolis is coming off yet another loss in their house of horrors called Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville. In one of the weirdest quirks in the National Football League, the Colts have gone an entire decade without winning a game in that city. Tennessee, meanwhile, got to rest up during a bye week after successfully conquering the struggling Dolphins in Week 4’s MNF finale. Which wounded team will get the opening salvo in this mutually detestable division rivalry as they chase the Houston Texans?
Week 6: Colts @ Titans – A Rivalry Renewed Amid Injury Concerns
Colts Offense vs. Titans Defense
Indianapolis has significant injury issues throughout its offense, including its most important position. While the young signal-caller is on the mend, Joe Flacco has taken over for him and done well. Several others, including Michael Pittman, Jr., and Braden Smith, also deal with maladies. Can the Colts piece together another competent offensive showing this week against a stingy Titans defense? Anthony Richardson is on track to return but was limited in practice on Wednesday.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
Indianapolis features one of the more talented offensive lines the Titans will face in 2024. The left side has arguably the best tandems in the league, with stalwarts Bernhard Raimann and Quenton Nelson. Both players could make a case for being in the top five at their respective positions. Nelson has been one of the best guards for year after year. Both players have PFF grades in the 80s, while Smith comes in with a score in the low 60s after multiple seasons of being in the 80s. Rookies Dalton Tucker (right guard) and Tanor Bortolini (center) have fit in seamlessly as replacements for injuries. Tucker will have to hold down his spot for the long term as starter Will Fries was placed on IR recently. Bortolini took over for starter Ryan Kelly, but Kelly practiced fully on Wednesday and Thursday.
Tennessee has a giant question mark in the shape of Jeffery Simmons, battling to return from a torn UCL, an injury far more common in baseball pitchers than NFL players. Sebastian Joseph-Day has proven to be one of the more astute signings made by Ran Carthon, as he has played well when called upon. Rookie T’Vondre Sweat has performed well but will have a battle against a stout interior offensive line. Arden Key has been a relative nonfactor, and Harold Landry is back to his usual punishing self. It will be interesting to see how DC Dennard Wilson deploys his front against a talented Colts offensive line. Tennessee’s defense has been one of the best defenses in the league as the Titans and Colts renew their rivalry under new and old familiar faces.
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
Indianapolis will likely be without several weapons as Michael Pittman, Jr, and Josh Downs haven’t practiced for two consecutive days. They still have a Friday practice, so it remains to be seen if both can make their returns and carry out some injury designation. The Colts are down to the nitty gritty in the receiver room as Alec Pierce and rookie Adonai Mitchell must carry the day. Superstar running back Jonathan Taylor needs no mention as one of the league’s better runners, but he also missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle issue. If Taylor cannot go on Sunday, Evan Hull will likely get a call-up from the practice squad to complement Trey Sermon.
The Titans are injured in their defensive backfield, but it isn’t as dire as their counterparts in Indiana. Chidobe Awuzie is on injured reserve, but rookie Jarvis Brownlee, Jr has drawn rave reviews in his stead. JBJ could draw the faster matchup of Alec Pierce while L’Jarius Sneed matches up against the remainder of what the Colts’ receiver room is. Safety Quandre Diggs and Amani Hooker, alongside the pair of standout linebackers Kenneth Murray, Jr, and Ernest Jones, will have to be on high alert against screens and other short-game tricks.
Titans Offense vs. Colts Defense
Tennessee’s offense is off to a sputtering start as they look for consistency at the quarterback position. Will Levis has become a weekly punchline for his antics, which cost his team games. It’s gotten to the point that when other passers pull off zany and unnecessary throws, it’s named after him. He is on track to play on Sunday after injuring his shoulder against Miami before the bye week. The Colts’ defense presents another test for the young passer as they look for a get-right game under maligned DC Gus Bradley.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
The Titans’ offensive line is an abject horror show every week, so much so that the team cut one right tackle to find some competition. Nicholas Petit-Frere was so frightful that the team elevated a former Bill Callahan protege to inspire him to do better. Rookie left tackle JC Latham has improved weekly as he gets more reps at that position and gears up to face another standout rookie, EDGE Laiatu Latu. The former UCLA star has turned heads as the first defender taken off the board in April’s draft. He boasts an impressive 79.5 overall defensive grade from PFF. While the Colts have some impact players like Grover Stewart, Kwity Paye, and Dayo Odeyingbo, they miss DeForest Buckner and Samson Ebukam. The latter is out for the season with a torn Achilles, while Buckner will miss Sunday due to an ankle issue that put him on IR.
Indianapolis’ defensive front has been just as bad as the Titans’ in generating pressure this season, notching only 12 sacks. While injuries could be partly to blame, Bradley’s scheme is largely ineffective in 2024. Fortunately for the embattled defensive mind, Sunday presents a get-right game, if there is ever one. Tennessee’s interior offensive line is a convoluted mess. Peter Skoronski is undergoing a sophomore slump, while big-ticket signee Lloyd Cushenberry has been inconsistent. Right guard Dillon Radunz has had flashes of meme-worthy immortality over the past few seasons.
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
How bad has the Colts’ defense been at the start of the season? They have made multiple passers, including the much-ballyhooed but inconsistent Trevor Lawrence, look like a megastar to the tune of over 350 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Colts have given up almost 600 passing yards during the past two contests against young but middling passers, so Levis and his receivers should be licking their chops. Indianapolis’ run defense is leaking like an ineffective colander, giving opposing rushing attacks 157 yards per game this season. They are a defense that isn’t bereft of talent, either. There are intriguing talents like Samuel Wommack (80.1 overall defense from PFF), Kenny Moore when healthy (76.5), and Jaylon Jones (64.5). The mystery of their rush defense woes is intriguing, given that five of their 11 projected starters have run defense grades better than 70.
With all that said, if the Titans have been far more capable in the run game than their passing attack. Tony Pollard has been the lead ballcarrier, but Tyjae Spears needs more work. OC Nick Holz flat-out said that he needs to get Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins more involved in the passing game. Skeptics are undoubtedly correct in remaining skeptical until there is proof that Levis can stop making boneheaded mistakes. It could be a case of whoever can stop the other enough to win the game as the Colts and Titans renew their old rivalry.
Weather Report
Nissan Stadium will have ideal weather conditions for Sunday’s AFC South showdown. The temperature is expected to be 81 degrees at kickoff, a few ticks higher than the average this time of year. Winds will blow in a west-northwest direction at a projected 10 MPH. The forecast calls for limited clouds, so it will be a great day for football. There is no weather advantage for either team.
Odds and Ends
The Colts lead the all-time series with a record of 37-22. The annual two-game set began 22 seasons ago during the 2002 season. In that time frame, Indianapolis has dominated the series by a margin of 30-14 over Tennessee. The Colts won ten consecutive games in the series at one point, dating from the 2011 to 2016 seasons. However, it isn’t all bad news for Tennessee, as they have won six of the past ten duels since 2019, including five straight from 2020 to 2022. The scoring margin has been in Tennessee’s favor by an average scoreline of 25.6 to 22.4.
Uniforms
According to @TitansUni, the Titans are a lifetime 27-23 when wearing the monochrome navy blue uniforms. The Colts are expected to wear their all-white tops and bottoms again. In addition to the weekly uniform news, the Titans and the fitness company No Bull have announced a partnership with a custom-designed shoe.
🚨BRITCHES REPORT 🚨: The @Titans will be decked out in all navy — navy jerseys, navy britches and all navy socks — in Sunday’s game vs the @Colts. 👖 pic.twitter.com/U20W3bbvMN
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 9, 2024
Referee Crew
Brad Rogers is the referee for Sunday’s @Titans vs @Colts game. 🦓
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 7, 2024
Rogers has been an NFL official for eight seasons and the head referee for six campaigns. He was handed the top job in two seasons, which is remarkably quick for a promotion. In his time away from the gridiron, Mr. Rogers is a college professor at Texas Tech University. Four of his six onfield crew have at least 11 years of officiating experience. However, there are only three holdovers from 2023, so chemistry could be a problem with just four games served together. Both replay officials are from other crews as well. Interestingly, Rogers was promoted to referee when John Parry retired to ESPN after the 2018 season. Parry now serves as an officiating consultant with the Buffalo Bills.
The crew has called 65 penalties through six games, including the Monday night game featuring the Chiefs and Saints. Rogers’ staff has averaged 13.2 flags a game, which is about the middle of the pack of 17 referees. Tennessee is 3-4 when his crew is on the call for their games. He called a Colts vs. Titans game last season in which Indianapolis won. The offensive lines for each team must be on high alert as his crew loves to call false starts and holding penalties more than any other category. His staff has called balanced games for both the home and away teams. The home teams drew 34 flags, while the away team garnered 32. Home teams have earned 268 yards in penalties against the away teams’ 255.
Betting
According to BetMGM, Tennessee is a 2.5-point favorite over the Colts, with the money line at -110 for both teams. The over/under has been set at an even 43 points. Tennessee’s overall money line is at -140, while the Colts’ is at +140.
This is the second time the Titans have been declared favorites. They lost the first time against the Packers. Tennessee has gone over twice and under once this season so far and is 1-3 ATS. The Colts are 3-2 in going over/under while they are 4-1 ATS. It could be a pick’em beat ATS as the Titans and Colts renew their rivalry.
Main Photo: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
