Titans Keys to Victory: Indianapolis Colts (Round 2)

"Big Natural" Stoney Keeley offers up his preview of Sunday's Titans-Colts game, including his keys to victory for the Tennessee Titans on the road.

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After a big win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans are hitting the road on Sunday for Round 2 with the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts. To say this is a big game would be an understatement. The winner of this one is going to improve to 7-5, and with the Houston Texans hosting the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football, it’s entirely plausible that that could mean tied for the AFC South lead at 7-5. Not to mention, the Colts are currently 5-5 in the AFC. If they lose this game, they’ll have no shot at a winning conference record in a year when it looks like tiebreakers are going to be critical. So, this one’s huge for both teams.

The first time they met, the Colts won 19-17 in a game that the Titans would probably like to have back. But, a lot’s changed since then. The Titans are starting Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, they have Taylor Lewan, Jeffery Simmons, Nate Davis contributing, and it is officially DHenber. Meanwhile, the Colts are without Marlon Mack and Eric Ebron.

The Colts are currently favored by 2.5, with and over/under set at 43.5. So, what can the Titans do to come out victorious?

Finish on Jacoby Brissett

Okay, that sounded bad. Hold up. Let me add some context. What killed the Titans in that first game against the Colts was Jacoby Brissett moving around in the pocket and extending plays. The Titans just couldn’t bring him down. That’s something Brissett excels at…evading pressure. So, they need to finish on some of these tackles in this game to avoid Brissett’s ability to hang around until someone gets open.

Break the dam

That Colts run defense is something else. They just don’t allow hundred yard rushers. But, that’s kind of what this Titans offense is predicated on. So, Arthur Smith will have to get creative with all of the pieces at his disposal to sort of break the dam and get the run game going. Tannehill has been excellent with his legs. Dion Lewis made a few plays last week. They’ve tried to get some of the receivers involved out of the back field. Whatever you can do to break the strength of that defense. If Derrick Henry hits 100, I think the Titans win this game.

Remain disciplined

The Colts just don’t commit a lot of penalties. The way they’re built, they’re going to play a safe and secure brand of football. Run the ball, stop the run, play with discipline. That makes it even more critical for the Titans not to hand the Colts anything with dumb penalties. If they do, the Colts are built to take advantage of that. If the Titans can reflect that type of play, they’ll be in a much better position to win this game.

Check out the latest episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast here.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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