The Tennessee Titans are on the board.
Tennessee (1-5) erased a 13-0 halftime deficit to win 26-20 against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 18 at Lucas Oil Stadium and earn its first win of the 2026 season.
The Titans' defense forced three turnovers, while the special teams added a blocked punt return for a touchdown.
While the Titans' offense remains a work in progress, solid days by Tony Pollard (76 rushing yards) and Carnell Tate (70 receiving yards) helped Tennessee in finishing the comeback in the fourth quarter.
"Whatever it took," Titans coach Robert Saleh said postgame.
Here are the Titans' winners and losers from their Week 6 win over the Colts (2-4).
Titans vs Colts winners and losers
Winner: Titans defense impacts game from start to finish
Saleh said that Jeffery Simmons was "outstanding" in the locker room at halftime, when the Titans were down 13-0.
Then the All-Pro defensive lineman forced a fumble on the first play of the third quarter, recovering the ball in Colts territory.
It led to only a field goal, but it set the tone for the Titans in the second half as they launched their comeback.
Tennessee created three turnovers, including interceptions by Amani Hooker and Cor'Dale Flott in Titans territory, to keep the team in the game and allow for the first win of the year.
As important as the turnovers, the Titans' defense shut down quarterback Daniel Jones and the Colts' offense in two late possessions in a one-score game, once with a three-point lead and again with a six-point lead. Those stops came at the end of a game in which the Colts possessed the ball for 38 minutes, 32 seconds.
Four weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles won with a late drive in the final seconds as the Titans unsuccessfully tried to hang on to a one-score lead.
If you want to look for tangible improvement for these Titans, start there.
Winner: Carnell Tate
Tate caught his first career NFL touchdown in the fourth quarter and was a major part in the Titans' comeback.
Tate made a tremendous jumping catch to set up a Titans field goal in the third quarter, then made the catch for his first career TD and the Titans offense's lone touchdown of the day.
The Ohio State alum then drew a 36-yard defensive pass interference penalty on the opening play of the drive following the Colts' game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The DPI jump-started the drive, which led to Joey Slye's go-ahead field goal with 2:07 left.
Tate was limited with a back injury in practice two weeks ago, and he did not have a good performance (one catch against Houston in Week 5) after his first 100-yard game in Baltimore in Week 4. After a more normal practice week, Tate returned as quarterback Cam Ward's No. 1 option.
Loser: First-half offense, again
The Titans' offense has been very, very bad in first halves, and it hit rock bottom on Oct. 18.
Tennessee totaled 65 yards in four first-half drives before a final-play kneel-down. Those drives included two three-and-outs and a Ward interception, plus a punt from the Colts' 47-yard line on fourth-and-3 on the opening possession.
Ward has consistently struggled to find a rhythm early in games, and the Titans rarely get to play with a lead. Tennessee has scored 23 points in six first halves, good for less than four points per game in the first 30 minutes.
The defense showed that it can be the driver in finishing off a game, but the offense continues to put the team in a bad position with these punchless starts.
Loser: Alontae Taylor's status in the secondary
Alontae Taylor was a healthy scratch via coach's decision in Week 6 after starting the first five games of the season.
Taylor signed a three-year deal on the opening day of free agency in March, including $42 million in guarantees.
The Tennessee Vols alum ranked 101st out of 104 cornerbacks this season by Pro Football Focus going into the game.
"Just a coach's decision, and we'll leave (it) at that," Saleh said after the game.
Taylor's exit from the lineup gave Joshua Williams, off of IR and making his Titans debut, a chance to make a claim to a major role in the secondary. Williams had an early illegal contact penalty but finished with three total tackles and two passes defensed.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans vs Colts winners, losers as defense carries the day, Carnell Tate shines
