Colts at Titans
The Indianapolis Colts do not officially have anything to play for when they try for their seventh straight victory over the host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but they want to enter the playoffs on a positive note. The AFC South Division champion Colts have already locked up the No. 4 seed, and will host Sunday's Pittsburgh-Cincinnati loser in the first round of the playoffs next weekend. The Steelers host the Bengals on Sunday Night Football with the AFC North title and No. 3 seed on the line.
Indianapolis' 42-7 loss in Dallas last week helped seal its playoff position and it will try to avoid losing two straight for the first time since dropping its first two games of the season. The Colts, though, should have little trouble bouncing back as they have won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Titans, including a 41-17 victory in Week 4. Tennessee still has a chance to finish last in the NFL and gain the No. 1 pick in the draft, but could lose out to Tampa Bay on the strength of schedule tiebreaker.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Colts -7. O/U: 46.5
ABOUT THE COLTS (10-5): Coach Chuck Pagano said his starters will play, but for how long? T.Y. Hilton, who is fifth in the NFL with 1,345 receiving yards, returned to practice Tuesday after missing the Dallas game with a hamstring injury, and is expected to see action. Quarterback Andrew Luck threw for a career-low 109 yards against Dallas before being removed in the third quarter, but hasn't lost confidence in his team. "I think there's a bunch of good players in that locker room," Luck told the Indianapolis Star. "I would like to think we're a better team than we showed, but the nature of sports is they say you are what you put on film."
ABOUT THE TITANS (2-13): As Tennessee puts the finishing touches on its worst season since moving from Houston in 1997, perhaps the biggest question surrounding the team is who will be the quarterback in 2015. Rookie Zach Mettenberger took over after Jake Locker was injured against the Colts and threw eight touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 60.3 percent of his passes in six ensuing starts. Locker got his job back when Mettenberger was lost for the season with a shoulder injury suffered against the New York Giants in Week 14 as rumors persist that the Titans will try to acquire Chicago's Jay Cutler.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Luck leads the NFL with 38 touchdown passes and needs two to become the eighth player in history to record 40 in a season.
2. Tennessee hasn't won as few as two games since 1994.
3. Colts LB D'Qwell Jackson leads the AFC with 131 tackles - five ahead of Baltimore LB C.J. Mosley.