NASHVILLE – The Titans lost to the Colts 41-20 on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here’s a look at six things that stood out from the contest:
If you’re looking for someone to rip the head coach, or to question everything that’s wrong with this 0-3 football team, then the team web site isn’t the place you’re going to find it. But I was sitting in my press box seat on the 50-yard line for Sunday’s game, so I plainly saw what happened at the end of the first half. And, I’d be lying if I said it was anything but a mess. The Titans, down 17-6 at the time, seemed content with going into halftime with a long field goal attempt. But they botched that by being indecisive, which ultimately resulted in a time out, a delay of game, and then a missed field goal. If I’m doing a ‘Six Things That Stood Out’ from the game, it would be irresponsible not to mention this sequence, because it’s impossible to ignore. Making matters worse: The Colts got the ball, and then quickly got into position to kick a field goal of their own. It was the lowlight of a bad day.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward is one of the main reasons to watch these Titans, and he continues to go through ups and downs in his first NFL season. Ward lobbed a pick-6 ball up on the team’s first possession of the game, and the Colts gladly caught it and returned it for a touchdown. Ward missed some other throws in the contest, and he took the blame for some of the sacks (he was sacked four more times on Sunday). But Ward also continued to make some good plays, and I admit, I kind of feel bad for him because the team that’s currently surrounding him just isn’t helping him very much right now. Ward’s final numbers on Sunday: 23-of-38 for 219 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He showed his competitive fire, his will to win, and his guts once again. But after three weeks, he doesn’t have a win to show for it.
The highlight of the day took place at halftime. That’s when former Titans play-by-play man Mike Keith became the 19th person to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. The biggest ovation on Sunday came when Keith, now play-by-play man at the University of Tennessee, was introduced by former Titans receiver Kevin Dyson, his good friend. Joined by his family and friends, Keith gave an emotion-filled speech during the half, when he thanked Titans fans for their love and support over the years. Judging from the ovation, the feeling is still – and will always be – mutual.
I saw the impressive offensive stats from the Colts heading into the game, and I’ll admit, I was still skeptical. Could the Colts really be this good? After watching them in person, I’m still not sure what to think. Yes, the Colts had their way with the Titans on Sunday, as quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor looked like Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James. But this Titans defense didn’t put up much resistance against them. There wasn’t much of a pass rush, the coverage in the secondary had too many lapses, and tackling wasn’t very good. The Titans did force the Colts to punt for the first time this season, but that hardly qualifies as a win on a day when the Colts scored on six of their eight possessions. Are the Colts really this good, or …
The good news is the penalty yardage for the Titans wasn’t as high as it had been the previous two weeks. The bad news is the Titans continued to hurt themselves with penalties, including some at critical times. The league’s most penalized team heading into the game, the Titans were flagged eight times for 68 yards against the Colts. L’Jarius Sneed had a few, but he wasn’t alone. The Titans had penalties on offense, defense, and special teams, and they also had three more penalties declined. The Titans, now with 31 penalties accepted against them in three games, just keep making things harder on themselves.
Missing Starters, and Performance
Let’s face it, this year’s version of the Titans was going to be overmatched on a lot of Sundays. This is a franchise in rebuild mode, with holes, and not a lot of depth. That doesn’t mean the team can’t win. And, it doesn’t mean the team can’t look better than it did on Sunday. Playing without starters T’Vondre Sweat, JC Latham, Kevin Zeitler, and Jarvis Brownlee against the Colts, the Titans struggled even more than it had in previous weeks. With some of the team’s front-liners not playing as well as they should be, or could be, it’s a tough combination to overcome. This much is certain: Some things better improve fast, or this is going to be a really long season.
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