The Tennessee Titans went up to the Pacific Northwest and stole a win away from the Seattle Seahawks, coming back from two touchdowns down in the fourth quarter to win the game 33-30 in overtime and improve to 1-1 on the season. It was the quintessential “get right” game for the Titans, as they demonstrated improvement in a lot of the areas that we were hyper critical of after the Arizona Cardinals bent them over and showed them the 50 states in Week 1. Now, after starting the season against consecutive NFC West opponents, it’s time to get into AFC South play. The 0-2 Indianapolis Colts are coming to Nashville at high noon on Sunday – but, I’d caution fans about seeing that record and thinking this team is going to be a pushover. The Titans are currently 5-point favorites, with a point total set at over/under 47.5. ESPN’s match-up predictor gives the Titans a 58.5% chance to win this game. I think this one’s going to be a close, physical, and spicy contest between rivals. As for what I think the Titans need to do to get the win, LFG.
Keys to Victory: Colts @ Titans, 9/26/21
*Flood the backfield – I think it’s the most important thing the Titans can do on defense to befuddle the Colts and clog that offense up. This team, with all of its uncertainty at quarterback, is going to make it a priority to feed Jonathan Taylor and get the run game going. If the Titans can get into the backfield and get to him before he gets going, it could be the key to winning this game. If they can generate pressure on whoever is playing quarterback, even better. We saw this defensive front improve in the Seattle game – they’ll have to keep that momentum going.
*Derrick fucking Henry – It sounds like a copout, I know. “Gee, Stoney – ya think? Get the ball to the best player? No shit, Sherlock!” I get it. It seems obvious – but he has shown a propensity for knocking around the Colts in particular over the last three seasons. This is a run defense that has only allowed one back to get 100+ rushing yards in the last three years, and you guessed it…that one back is Henry…and he’s done it thrice. So, for whatever reason, Henry has some mojo going against this opponent. Best not to mess with that.
*Test that Colts secondary – On paper, this is a unit that should be performing well. It’s a scheme designed to limit the big plays, and yet, for whatever reason, there have been some “communication issues” (stop me if you’ve heard that one before, Titans fans) going on among the defensive backs. Jake Arthur talked about it on this week’s pod (embedded below), and I think it’s a spot where this Titans offense can pick their moment for a kill shot late in the game. So, frustrate the Colts signal caller, stifle the run, get Derrick Henry going, and go for the jugular late in the game with a shot against a reeling secondary – sounds like the perfect game plan to me. No big deal – should be easy, right? RIGHT?!?!
I talked to Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle on this week’s episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast. We dive into the status of Carson Wentz and how Jake feels about the quarterback situation beyond him, how this 0-2 start happened, and more. You can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, or simply smash that play button on the embed below!
Listen to “Ep. 78: Previewing the Indianapolis Colts with Jake Arthur” on Spreaker.Don’t forget to check out our friends at MANSCAPED, who just launched the new Refined Cologne. Get 20% off your entire order and free shipping with the promo code ‘SOBROSTITANS20’ at checkout.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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