Colts (6-3) have won three of their last four, while the Titans (6-3) have lost three of their last four as race for divisional title hots up; Week 10 continues with a triple header on Sunday, starting at 6pm with Bucs @ Panthers, live on Sky Sports NFL
Friday 13 November 2020 10:21, UK
Indianapolis drew level with Tennessee at the top of the AFC South by rallying to beat the Titans on Thursday night thanks to a Philip Rivers inspired second half.
Rivers, who joined the Colts this off-season, moved into fifth place on the NFL's all-time passing yardage list with his opening throw of the night as Indianapolis seized the initiative in the division with victory in Nashville.
An 11-yard completion to rookie running back Jonathan Taylor saw him surpass Dan Marino (61,361) for fifth all-time and he went on to throw for 308 yards and a touchdown to move onto 61,666 yards with Brett Favre (71,838), Peyton Manning (71,940), Tom Brady (76,969) and the all-time leader, Drew Brees (79,536) ahead of him.
More importantly for Rivers and the Colts, they continued their upturn in form with the Indianapolis defense keeping the Titans quiet to aide a comeback that saw them trail 17-10 halfway through the second half.
But a run of 24 unanswered points, which included a game-changing block that TJ Carrie returned for a touchdown, saw them continue a dominant record over the Titans with a win that moves the teams level and crucially gives them the head-to-head advantage over their divisional rivals in the AFC South.
Nyheim Hines caught a touchdown pass and ran for a second score on the way to a combined 115 rushing and receiving yards for the Colts. Hines' two-yard run with less than three minutes left in the third quarter gave Indianapolis a 20-17 lead and came either side of a shanked punt and a blocked punt from the Titans.
Hines' second score gave Indianapolis the lead for the first time in the game and came 78 seconds and four plays after Trevor Daniel, Tennessee's third punter in as many games, shanked a 17-yard punt that set up a 27-yard field for the Colts.
Hines ran it in and less than a minute later defensive back Carrie upped the lead to 10 when he picked up a blocked punt and lugged it six yards for a touchdown.
After Gostkowski missed a 44-yard field goal attempt at the end of the third quarter, Indianapolis wrapped the game up on a two-yard sneak by backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett with 9:21 remaining in the game.
The Titans lost for the third time in four games despite getting 103 yards on 19 carries from Derrick Henry, who moved past Minnesota's Dalvin Cook for the NFL rushing lead this season.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill hit 15 of 27 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown - but that opening score came on the game's opening drive as Tannehill got Tennessee off to a quick start by finding D'Onta Foreman for a five-yard score just 3:10 into the game.
Rodrigo Blankenship's 24-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the first quarter got Indianapolis on the board before Stephen Gostkowski replied from 50 yards to restore a seven-point lead for the Titans early in the second quarter.
Rivers combined with Hines for a 13-yard touchdown that kept the Colts within touching distance but Jonnu Smith regained the lead for Tennessee on a one-yard run with 2:54 left before the break.
It was enough time for Blankenship to hit a 43-yard field goal as time expired in the half to make it 17-13 and the Colts dominated the second half for a massive victory.
Up Next - The two teams meet again at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 12 in a game that could go a long way to deciding who takes top spot in the AFC South; before that in Week 11 the Colts host the Green Bay Packers while things don't get any easier for the Titans who will hope to improve their recent slump on the road to the Baltimore Ravens.
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