Indianapolis Colts break away from Tennessee Titans, force tie atop AFC South

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NASHVILLE — The Indianapolis Colts are the class of the AFC South. After walloping the Tennessee Titans 34-17 on Thursday night in Nashville, the Colts jumped to 6-3 on the season and to a tie atop the division standings. 

They continue to control their own destiny, an enviable spot to be nine games into the NFL season. 

While the Colts weren’t bad in the first two quarters by any means, they entered intermission trailing their division rivals 17-13. 

However, riding a stifling defense, a terrific two-touchdown performance from Nyheim Hines and some abysmal specials teams play by the Titans (6-3), the Colts jumped all over Tennessee in the second half. 

The biggest play of the half, however, was turned it by special-teamer E.J. Speed, who blocked a Titans punt for T.J. Carrie to scoop up and score. 

The defense then stepped on the Titans, constantly harassing and hitting Ryan Tannehill and not allowing star tailback Derrick Henry to beat them. 

Quarterback Philip Rivers deserves credit for organizing one of the best offensive performances of the season. He finished Thursday night 29-of-39 for 398 yards and a touchdown. Michael Pittman won’t be mentioned in the following paragraphs either — there were a lot of standout performances Thursday — but he deserves to be noted after his best game as a rookie. He notched his first career 100-yard game (101 yards) after leading the team with seven catches. 

MORE: Philip Rivers passes Dan Marino for fifth place on NFL career passing yardage list

In a disputed call, Nyheim Hines (21) of the Indianapolis Colts goes in for a first half touchdown, Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020.

 (Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar) Nyheim Hines 

Hines showed up in Nashville as the do-it-all playmaker the Colts desperately needed. A week after the Ravens made the Colts’ weapons look lackluster, Hines proved otherwise. As a runner he quick and decisive through the hole, and as a receiver, he was the tough-cover menace he’s always been. 

Hines finished the game with a team-high 70 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 45 yards receiving with a score. He is the first Colts player to have multiple games with a rushing and receiving touchdown since Joseph Addai in 2009.

His first score came when he knotted the game at 10 by running a flawless option route, which he took the outside, burning his defender in the process and scoring a 13-yard touchdown. 

His second came on a two-yard plunge that ended up serving as the game-winner. 

There have a lot of calls recently to get Hines more involved in the offense. At times, he struggled with increased opportunity this season, but Thursday night’s game proves how electric he can be with the ball in hands. 

Going forward, Reich is going to have to continue making a priority to do that more often. 

While we’re on the subject of diminutive playmakers, undrafted free agent wide receiver DeMichael Harris deserves a shoutout for making an outstanding back-shoulder grab for a 21-yard gain in the first half. Harris hasn’t been heavily involved in his first three NFL games, but he’s been extremely effective with his touches. 

Defense

While it won’t be remembered as their best performance of the season, the Colts got stops when they needed them — none bigger than after the offense failed to convert a fourth-and-goal late in the third quarter. 

The defense yielded a first down but Denico Autry’s sack of Tannehill put the Titans behind the sticks and forced a punt two plays later. Though the Colts were poised to score good field position, Titans punter Trevor Daniel shanked his punt and made it easy on the Colts who capitalized with a 2-yard Hines touchdown run and grabbed a 20-17 lead. 

That ended up being the difference in the game because the defense didn’t give up another point after that. 

Frankly, on the only drives the Colts gave up points, they did so by shooting themselves in the foot with penalties. The most egregious came on Rock Ya-Sin’s 17-yard pass interference flag in the second quarter put the Titans at the 1-yard line. DeForest Buckner was flagged for a roughing the passer a few plays later, and that set up a Jonnu Smith touchdown run. 

Without the penalties, the Colts defense may have fared even better. 

Darius Leonard won’t be happy that Henry exceeded 100 yards (103) — just the second time the Colts have given up 100 rushing yards to a player under Matt Eberflus (Henry both times) — but that surely won’t prevent him from celebrating a solid all-around performance for the defense. 

T.J. Carrie (38) of the Indianapolis Colts picks up a blocked punt and takes it in for a touchdown, Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. Colts won 34-17.

 (Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar) Special teams

What will be an untold story of this game was the Titans total collapse on special teams. Daniel’s shanked punt was only the beginning. After their next drive stalled, someone on Tennessee’s punt coverage unit forgot to block E.J. Speed, and he came up with one of the biggest momentum-turning plays of the game. Speed blocked the punt, T.J. Carries scooped it up and returned it six yards for the touchdown, putting the Colts up 27-18. 

The touchdown was the Colts fifth defensive or special teams touchdown this season, breaking a tie with the Ravens for most in the NFL. 

The Titans’ collapse didn’t end there. Stephen Gostkowski missed a 44-yard field goal early in the third quarter that would have brought the Titans back within one score. Instead, the Colts took advantage of the opportunity my marching down the field and effectively ending the game with Jacoby Brissett’s two-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak. 

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