One stat the Titans must fix to beat the Colts
The Tennessee Titans have played far from perfect to open their 2022 season. Their 1-2 record is a reflection of that. Even in the Titans most recent performance against the Las Vegas Raiders, their only win of the season, there were still some glaring issues. Luckily, the Titans were able to survive a sloppy second […]
The Tennessee Titans have played far from perfect to open their 2022 season. Their 1-2 record is a reflection of that.
Even in the Titans most recent performance against the Las Vegas Raiders, their only win of the season, there were still some glaring issues. Luckily, the Titans were able to survive a sloppy second half and squeak out a win.
As the Titans now look to make a few corrections ahead of Sunday's rivalry game with the Indianapolis Colts, one stat sticks out from the pack, especially considering the personnel on the other sideline.
Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Titans are allowing explosive runs (12+ yards) at the highest rate in the league (13.3%) through three games.
The Colts run blocking has been poor to begin the season, but Indy still has the league's reigning rushing champion in Jonathan Taylor as the centerpiece of their offense.
While the Titans secondary has been prone to giving up "x-plays" in man coverage, the Colts do not have weapons of the same caliber as teams like the Bills and Raiders, and they certainly have a lot less depth.
As long as the Titans can contain Michael Pittman Jr. (likely with Kristian Fulton), the Colts passing game isn't a huge concern in my opinion. Besides, the Colts pass protection has really struggled and Matt Ryan is tied to the pocket far more than any of the quarterbacks Tennessee has faced thus far. The pressure should be there against Ryan.
Limiting the pass game may not mean much, though. That's not really the Colts' M.O. on offense.
The one place they willbeat you is on the ground. Taylor is one of the most dangerous and dynamic backs in the league, and he's complimented nicely by Nyheim Hines, who makes a major impact in the passing game each week. There's no easy way to stop that duo.
We saw poor run defense get the Titans beat when they couldn't contain Saquon Barkley against the Giants. You don't want that to be the case here.
Successful runs are going to happen and Taylor will probably push over 100 yards on the ground. But the game will be won or lost with the Titans ability to prevent Indy from breaking it loose on the ground and picking up explosive gains. Make them work for every yard, and the holes in the Colts roster will expose themselves.
You just can't let their best player beat you.
Image via Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
