Colts Lose Control in Unacceptable Loss to Titans

The Indianapolis Colts (2-4) controlled the first half on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans (1-5) at Lucas Oil Stadium, taking a 13-0 lead into halftime. However, they lost the second half on offense, defense, and special teams, surrendering 20 unanswered points before they were able to get back on the board.

The Colts turned the ball over twice to begin the second half and later surrendered a blocked punt for a touchdown. They ultimately lost the game to the previously winless Titans, 26-20.

Here's how it unfolded.

The Colts won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, granting Tennessee the opening kickoff. Tennessee's drive started out well, as quarterback Cam Ward went 3-of-5 passing, but it stilled out at midfield. The Titans punted on 4th-and-3 from the Indianapolis 47-yard line, which was fair-caught by Colts returner Anthony Gould at the Colts' 9-yard line.

Methodical was the name of the game initially for the Colts on their first offensive drive. They went 72 yards in 13 plays, first highlighted by a 36-yard completion from quarterback Daniel Jones to rookie wide receiver Deion Burks. However, three plays later, Jones rolled to his right and threw a ball for receiver Josh Downs that was too high and inside, bouncing off Downs' hands. The ball was grabbed out of the air by Titans safety Amani Hooker, who dragged his toes inside the sideline and maintained possession of the ball for the interception. The Titans' offense took over at their own 6-yard line.

Tennessee's offense went three-and-out while backed up deep in their own territory, punting it to Gould, who returned it to the Colts' 30-yard line.

The Colts' offense got another opportunity after their defense got them the ball back. Running back Jonathan Taylor promptly took a screen pass 38 yards to the Tennessee 28-yard line. An offsides penalty by the defense and a handful of plays, including a 13-yard catch by receiver Keenan Allen, got the Colts down into the low red zone. Jones found tight end Mo Alie-Cox from a yard out for the first score of the game. Kicker Spencer Shrader's extra point made it 7-0, Colts, with 11:07 remaining in the first half.

The Titans' offense went three-and-out again before punting back to the Colts.

The Colts orchestrated another lengthy drive, amassing 75 yards on 13 plays, resulting in a 23-yard field goal from Shrader. Jones was sacked for a loss of nine on 2nd-and-10 and got back 17 yards on a third-down scramble, setting up 4th-and-2. The kick extended the Colts' lead to 10-0 with 2:06 remaining in the first half.

On the first play of the Titans' ensuing drive, Ward was hit as he threw by Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore, and his ball flew high and into the grasp of Colts safety Cam Bynum, who returned it to the Tennessee 49-yard line. It was Bynum's first interception of the year, and just the Colts' third takeaway of the year.

With just under two minutes remaining in the first half, the Colts got to work on their two-minute drive. A pair of 11-yard plays by Taylor and Allen helped get the Colts into quality field-goal range. Shrader knocked another one in from 47 yards to give the Colts a 13-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Colts received the opening kickoff of the second half. On the first play of the half, Taylor ran the ball for four yards, but was stripped by Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who also recovered the fumble.

Tennessee finally got on the board with this bonus opportunity. A 19-yard completion from Ward to Carnell Tate on 3rd-and-10 kept the drive alive long enough for kicker Joey Slye to convert on a 29-yard field goal attempt, making the score 13-3, Colts, with 13:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Jones' bad habit of turning the ball over reared its head as the Colts turned the ball over on consecutive drives to start the second half. While driving in Tennessee territory, Jones threw an interception directly to Titans cornerback Cor'Dale Flott at the Tennessee 11. It was Jones' ninth turnover of the season in its first six games.

Tennessee marched 51 yards downfield in nine plays on the ensuing drive and tacked on another field goal from 56 yards by Slye to cut the Colts' lead to 13-6 with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter.

The Colts' next drive was another failure, resulting in a punt after five plays.

After a few productive plays, the Titans got into the low red zone, as Ward found Tate from eight yards out to tie the game at 13 following the extra point, with 13:00 left in the game.

The Colts' offense sputtered once more and were forced to punt after five plays. Rigoberto Sanchez's punt was blocked by Titans running back Julius Chestnut and recovered by Titans edge Oluwafemi Oladejo and returned for a 14-yard touchdown. Sanchez was collided with on the play and left the game with a foot injury. The touchdown gave the Titans their first lead, 20-13, with 10:17 remaining.

The Colts' offense had some gumption left in them, as a 23-yard completion from Jones to Downs and a 19-yard run by Taylor sparked an eight-play scoring drive that covered 72 yards and was punctuated by a four-yard touchdown run by Taylor to tie the game at 20-20 with 5:32 remaining.

The Colts' defensive slippage continued, which was aided by a 36-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Colts cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt on the first play of the drive. Tennessee ultimately got a 49-yard field goal from Slye to reclaim the lead, 23-20, with 2:03 remaining.

The Colts' next offensive drive lacked teeth, turning the ball over in five plays after an incompletion over the middle of the field.

Tennessee took over possession of the ball and knocked in one more field goal from 44 yards out, giving them a 26-20 lead with 0:43 remaining.

The Colts, once again, could come up with no answers on their final drive, heaving a pair of failed Hail Marys.