INDIANAPOLIS ― It keeps getting worse.
The Tennessee Titans’ nightmare season continued with a 38-14 loss against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 26. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor bludgeoned the Titans yet again, rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns and catching a 19-yard touchdown, while Colts quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns of his own. Two games after firing coach Brian Callahan and replacing him with interim coach Mike McCoy, the Titans (1-7) have been outscored 69-27 in a pair of blowout losses and are now tied for the worst record in the NFL.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward threw for 259 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Playing without highly-paid veterans Calvin Ridley, Jeffery Simmons, L’Jarius Sneed and Arden Key, the Titans looked mostly unequipped to sustain a high-level of play, turning a 10-point halftime deficit into a deficit that grew as big as 31 points.
The Colts scored so frequently, and shot off so much confetti in celebration, that glittery remnants built up and sparkled on the field in the fourth quarter, leaving festive reminders of the Titans’ mistakes and shortcomings everywhere they stepped. Both Jones and Taylor drew “MVP!” chants from Colts fans, but both stalwarts were taken out of the game to rest and the stands almost entirely thinned out with disinterest before the fourth quarter was halfway done.
Jonathan Taylor: Pain in the Titans’ butt
In his last two games against the Titans dating back to last December, running back Jonathan Taylor combined to rush for 320 yards and six touchdowns. The game started with much more of the same, with Taylor rushing for 62 yards and a score in the first quarter alone.
The Colts went away from the run a little bit in the second quarter, but on Taylor’s first carry of the third quarter, he scampered 80 yards for his second touchdown of the day, topping the Titans’ entire rushing net up to that point on one carry.
Taylor is the only player to score three or more touchdowns in three different games against the Titans or Oilers, and he’s now done it in three consecutive contests against his AFC South foes.
Strange drive stalls, fourth down decisions
Coming into this game, the Titans’ offense crossed midfield and came away with zero points 15 times in just seven games. Between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter, the Titans stalled out across midfield three more times, on three consecutive drives no less. Two of the decisions to punt came on plays on fourth-and-4 or shorter, and the third came via a missed 57-yard field goal just before halftime.
The third play in the exchange drew ire from Ward, who was seen coming off the field criticizing McCoy’s decision to punt. Taylor’s 80-yard touchdown came on the next play from scrimmage, turning a 10-point deficit into a 17-point deficit in seconds.
One more drive stalled in the red zone in the fourth quarter, pushing the grand total of times crossing midfield without points to show for it to 20 through eight games.
Here come the rookies
One of the few upshots of being a banged-up and perpetually-behind football team is the opportunity to let young players play and grow. The Titans witnessed at least some of that in the form of fourth-round rookie pass catchers Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike and Gunnar Helm. The trio combined to catch 13 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, all coming from Ward, a rookie quarterback himself.
What’s next?
The Titans return home for Week 9 to host the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 2. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, and the game will be televised on CBS.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
