The Indianapolis Colts came into week 11 needing a win to stay alive in the race for the AFC South division title. They would face off against the second place team in the division the Tennessee Titans. The Titans entered week 11 with a 5-5 record, compared to a 4-5 record for the Colts. Lucas Oil Stadium was the sight yesterday of a hardly fought battle between two AFC South rivals. Colts fans were given some hope for a playoff birth. The Colts got their second straight win of the season, 24-17, even with a 17-3 Titans run to finish the game. Now let’s take a look at the Indianapolis Colts week 11 takeaways after their victory over the Titans.
Indianapolis Colts Week 11 Takeaways
Colts Still Struggle to Close Out Games
For the second straight game, the Colts barely hung on to a lead that was once as large as two touchdowns or more. They almost blew a 14 point lead to the Green Bay Packers in their last game. Yesterday, they claimed a 21-0 lead at one point. Yet, Marcus Mariota and the Titans had a 17-3 run to finish the game, that started late in the first half. However, the Colts defense was able to stop Titans running back DeMarco Murray on fourth down in the fourth quarter to effectively seal the win. Indy fans are hoping that the Colts can start putting together full four quarter efforts for their final six games.
Pass Rush Came Alive
Week 11 was one of the few times this season that the Colts sacked the opposing quarterback more times than Andrew Luck got taken down. The Colts registered five sacks for 36 yards of total loss. Compared to just two sacks for 11 yards allowed, the Colts should be happy with this performance. Furthermore, the five sacks were recorded by five different players: Robert Mathis, D’Qwell Jackson, David Parry, Edwin Jackson, and Erik Walden. It’s been the entire defensive line and linebacking core that has had trouble rushing the passer. One of the lone bright spots has been Walden with a team leading eight sacks. The Colts are hoping this trend of having a strong pass rush will continue through the coming weeks.
T.Y. Hilton is a Monster
Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is putting up monster stats in 2016. He now has 888 receiving yards and five touchdowns through ten games. He also had 97 yards receiving against the Titans, including a clutch fourth down catch for a touchdown. Hilton led the Colts in receptions this game with five.
Overall, Hilton has been one of the best receivers in the NFL. He is projected to finish this season with 1,421 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. That would be a career best in both stat categories.
Up Next
The Indianapolis Colts face Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 12. Both the Steelers and Colts have the same record of 5-5, after both teams were victorious in week 11. The Colts will look to get to a winning record for the first time this season if they can top the Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday.
