The Battle of the AFC South will take place tomorrow in Indianapolis, Indiana. Both the Titans and the Colts come in with a record of 7-3. Two weeks ago the Colts defeated the Titans 34-17 in Nashville. Will this Sunday be a different result?
Week 12 for the Titans and Colts may come down to who is the healthiest when the game ends. Tennessee will be without Adoree Jackson, Jayon Brown, Taylor Lewan, Adam Humphries, and Jadeveon Clowney. Indianapolis will not have DeForest Buckner, Jonathan Taylor, Ryan Kelly, Denico Autry, and Bobby Okereke. The Titans will receive a huge lift when punter Brett Kern returns this week. Kern missed the previous matchup with the Colts and as a result, the special teams had a poor performance. One thing is for certain, neither team will have any excuses this week.
1. Derrick Henry needs to touch the football between 26-30 times. The Titans must take advantage of the injuries to the Colts’ defensive line. Look for Tennessee to return to playoff football by letting 22 win the game.
2. The Titans’ defense needs to stop the Colts’ running game. Tennessee must make Philip Rivers one dimensional on Sunday. Containing Hines was not easy in the previous matchup, but this is a must for Week 12.
3. Tennessee special teams must be better this week. In Nashville, the Titans had control of the game up until 4:14 in the third quarter. In the very next play, Titans’ punter Trevor Daniel had a 17-yard punt. On the next possession, Daniels punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown. Furthermore, Gostkowski needs to make his kicks as well.
This is a must-win for both teams. Expect the Titans to take advantage of the Colts’ top-rated defense this week by running the football. In Week 10, Derrick Henry only had 19 carries, yet still ran the ball over 100 yards. A productive running game for Tennessee will keep Philip Rivers off the field. Titans 27, Colts 24.