Titans at Colts
To stay in the AFC South title hunt, the Tennessee Titans will have to find a way to beat the Indianapolis Colts on the road Sunday. The Colts have won 10 straight regular-season meetings with the Titans and need an 11th to regain second place in the division standings.
After losing three of its first four games, Tennessee has hit its stride offensively, averaging 33.7 points while winning four of its last six contests - including a 47-25 rout of Green Bay last week. "We've been very good in the red zone, and I think the biggest thing we've done is our third down. We've been very good on third down, which has allowed us to put some of these drives together,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey told reporters. "We feel like we're very hard to defend based on all the things we do, and when it comes time to put points up, we're putting points up." The Colts also beat the Packers last time out, winning 31-26 at Green Bay in Week 9 before last week’s bye. Indianapolis is looking to record consecutive wins for the first time since capturing its final two games last season.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Colts -3. O/U: 52.5
ABOUT THE TITANS (5-5): The maturation of second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota - who has benefited from the addition of running back DeMarco Murray -has been the story for Tennessee’s flourishing offense. Mariota has passed for 21 touchdowns against eight interceptions, and he and Murray head the league’s third-ranked rushing attack. The Titans have struggled to stop the pass recently, allowing 300 or more yards through the air in four of the last five games - including a season-high 341 in a 34-26 loss to the Colts in Week 7.
ABOUT THE COLTS (4-5): Indianapolis has reasonable balance on offense, with running back Frank Gore putting together a decent season and Andrew Luck throwing far fewer interceptions than a year ago. The Colts have had difficulty keeping Luck upright, however, as he has been sacked 33 times - a concern against a Titans team with 28 sacks to its credit. Indianapolis’ downfall has been its defense, which ranks 31st against the pass and 22nd versus the run while forcing only eight turnovers - fifth-fewest in the league.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Mariota has recorded 17 touchdown passes against three interceptions over his last six games.
2. Luck is 8-0 as a starter against the Titans and has passed for 1,166 yards and 11 touchdowns in the last four meetings.
3. Tennessee LB Brian Orakpo recorded two sacks last week and is tied for fifth in the league with nine on the season.