The Indianapolis Colts were heavy favorites going into their game against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee entered the game 0-5 and had struggled against AFC South teams in the past year. However, the Colts still managed to lose this game, blowing a second-half lead.
Quarterback Daniel Jones had another poor showing, completing barely over 50 percent of his passes, throwing two interceptions, and getting sacked six times. One of those sacks was on Indianapolis’ second-to-last drive of the game on third down when they could not afford the sack. That ultimately led to another field goal for the Titans.
Here is a look at the good, bad, and ugly from the Indianapolis Colts’ fourth loss of the season against the Tennessee Titans.
The Good
Keenan Allen: Right
now, Indianapolis’ receiving game revolves around Keenan Allen who finished the game wih 11 targets that he turned into eight receptions for 82 yards. Having Allen is great, but he is 34 years old and will be 35 years old when next season starts. Even if he is able to come back next year, he is not a long-term solution and the Colts need a long-term solution. But at least they have Keenan Allen right now.
Spencer Shrader: One of the most consistent players on Indianapolis’ roster right now is their kicker, Spencer Shrader. In this game, he made both field goal attempts and both extra points. A kicker is a great weapon to have, especially one with a powerful leg like Shrader. They could use more weapons on offense and defense to be a more competitive team.
The Bad
Jonathan Taylor’s fumble: Jonathan Taylor had a fine game with 4.5 yards per attempt and a rushing touchdown. However, anytime your star offensive player puts the ball on the ground, it is bad especially when your quarterback already has an interception (Daniel Jones second interception came on the following drive) and it is the first play of the second half. Indianapolis had a 13-0 lead before his fumble, but the Titans were able to turn that into a field goal and start to get some momentum. This is also Taylor’s second fumble of the year after having only two fumbles through 17 games last season. Indianapolis cannot afford for Taylor’s fumbling to become a regular problem.
Pass protection: Not to excuse Jones' performance, but being under constant pressure isn't going to help things. The Titans' pass rush was able to generate six sacks and 11 quarterback hits in this game.
The Ugly
Special teams: Besides Shrader, Indianapolis’ special teams unit was a disaster. They allowed a 58-yard punt return that led to a touchdown. Tennessee had four field goals, which were paramount toward winning this game. The Colts allowed a blocked punt, which the Titans returned for a touchdown. Tennessee did not win this game because of offense or defense; they won because of Indianapolis’ terrible special teams (besides Shrader).
Daniel Jones: It also does not help when you are trying to win a football game when your quarterback throws two interceptions. Tennessee turned one of those into a field goal. Simply put, Jones has struggled mightily this year to take care of the ball, throwing six interceptions, along with losing a few other fumbles. The turnovers have been costly.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts vs Titans: Good, bad and ugly from second-half collapse
