Locker is their offense. Especially in the first half, Jake Locker was on target. He also had a big run on the first TD drive. That's probably the most I've ever been impressed by him. He was not nearly as effective in the second half.
By the way...did Chris Johnson play? What? He did? 19 carries? Are you sure? (checks stat sheet). I guess he did play with a meaty 2.3 yards per carry average.
Vontae's back. A second consecutive start for Vontae Davis. I can see why the Colts wanted to trade for him--he played well and should've had an interception or two. This is what fans wanted to see from him.
So glad we saw this game. I feel sorry for anyone who had to sit through Jacksonville/New York Jets.
Not a good start. Unless you're a Titans fan. That was, however, a great throw from Jake Locker and a nice catch by Jared Cook.
So close. T.Y. Hilton, wide open. Andrew Luck, off target. Blast!
Great play fake...then REGGIE! As great of a season as he's had, Reggie Wayne hasn't gotten into the end zone as much as he would've liked. Great to see him snag one on a fantastic play-action pass.
Get that man a bathtub full of Ben Gay or equivalent store brand pain relieving ointment. Other teams have hit Luck well all season long, but the Titans reign supreme. They absolutely battered him this week.
Sometimes you need more than Luck. Hat tip to the defense. Luck was hurried and harried all day. When he did have time, he was often inaccurate on his throws. In the second half, the defense stepped up, getting pressure on the Titans, creating turnovers, and scoring points.
Colts, first down! How about Vick Ballard banging out a big first down at the end of the game? How about Luck hitting Dwayne Allen for a first-down pass? The Colts made sure the Titans couldn't give them a dose of their own medicine by keeping the ball away.
Cassius Vaughn. He's been solid for much of the season, but his interception return completely turned the game around. After a rough first half, the Colts secondary (and defense in general) played much sharper after halftime.
The Mayor. Vick Ballard was quiet in the first half. In the second half, he went off, finishing with 94 rushing yards on the day including that key first down at the end of the game. Luck wasn't on...and Colts compensated with a strong running game and defense.
Another comeback. If the Colts ever got off to a good start, I think I'd be worried. They got down early and often in this game before taking over in the second half.
Apparently, the replacement officials came back. From a blown review to a missed false start to two BS pass interference/defensive holding calls that extended a Titans drive to a miscommunication on a first-down spot for Tennessee to a missed 12 players in the huddle call against the Colts...the officials were very, very bad today. At least they were equally bad for both teams, I guess.
Curious result. The Colts ran more plays than Tennessee yet finished with nearly 100 fewer yards. With constant pressure and throws that were off the mark, the Colts were not easy to watch on offense.
Still a few bullets left in the old gun. Adam Vinatieri added another field goal from 50+ yards this afternoon. And to think almost everyone thought Vinny was finished. The kick was welcome relief after Donnie Avery let a TD ball bounce off his helmet.
Let's rag on the officials some more. Antoine Bethea had a nice stop on third down that didn't count due to a BS PI call. The Colts earlier ended that same drive with a sack...which again didn't count because of a BS defensive holding call. Later, Dan Fouts ("he didn't hold anything back!") would comment on how well the Titans offense responded with a long drive held together by numerous defensive penalties that weren't actually defensive penalties. It was kind of amusing, actually.
Sometimes a play just dies, Luck. Video evidence that Luck's knee was down before he released the ball notwithstanding, Luck still needs to learn that it's okay to take a sack instead of make a desperation heave that gets returned for a 40-yard touchdown by the other team. We take the good with the bad, though.
Pat McAfee deserve Pro Bowl consideration. The guy is having a monster season. He also deserves credit for Cassius Vaughn's touchdown because his coffin corner punt backed the Titans waaaaaaay up.
Fourth quarter hero. While this wasn't a great performance by Luck, he still brought the team back and got credit for his sixth fourth quarter comeback of the season.
Not quite as efficient. The Colts were only 4-12 on third down--an area they've excelled at this season. They made a couple of big conversions--just not as many as usual.
