Titans vs. Colts: Breaking Down Tennessee's Game Plan

Amazing how much things can change in just one short week. After the Tennessee Titans blew yet another lead against the Andrew Luck-led Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football two weeks ago, the Titans went on to win the following week while the Colts were blown out.

Suddenly, doubt has crept in about the team that once looked like a surefire Super Bowl contender amidst a four-game stretch that has seen Indianapolis fall behind big in each contest. The Colts have been outscored 92-13 in the first half of the last four games.

Of course, the Titans had a 14-point lead two weeks ago and still lost, but the Colts' play has been "alarming" enough to induce one of team owner Jim Irsay's patented Twitter rants:

The rest of Irsay's tirade can be found here in an article by Matt Fitzgerald of Bleacher Report. If the Titans ever had a chance to knock off the Colts, this is the week to do so. The Titans have been oh so close in three consecutive losses to the Colts.

The Titans have lost to Indianapolis by six, four and three-point margins and also had leads of seven, 13 and 14 in each of the teams' last three head-to-head matchups. Here's what the Titans will need to do to avoid another collapse to their division rivals.

Stop Coby Fleener

In the first tilt between these two teams, Colts tight end Coby Fleener had his best game of the season and his career. Andrew Luck completed eight passes to his former Stanford tight end for 107 yards. 

While the Titans secondary has been tough on opposing wide receivers and is currently ranked eighth in pass defense, allowing about 217 yards per game. However, tight ends have torched Tennessee for 662 of the 2,319 yards the team has allowed through the air—good for 21st in the league.

To make matters worse, Tennessee will be without starting free safety Michael Griffin due to suspension. George Wilson will take Griffin's place in the starting lineup. Wilson is usually used to cover opposing tight ends, but the Titans used cornerbacks to "cover" Fleener in the teams' first matchup.

Perhaps Tennessee wanted to keep Griffin deep to stop T.Y. Hilton from breaking free for a huge play, but the Titans may need to rethink their strategy. Ultimately, the Titans will have to pick their poison if the team's corners cannot improve their coverage of the Colts' young tight end.

Tennessee can either risk giving Hilton a greater chance to break free for a deep pass by moving Wilson into the box to cover Fleener or they can give LB Zach Brown the dubious task.

Get Chris Johnson Going Early...

And sustain it throughout the game. Chris Johnson proved to be a real handful for the Colts in the first game, breaking free for 80 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Following a touchdown drive by the Colts, followed by a fumbled kick return and another touchdown drive for Indianapolis, the Titans went three-and-out.

The Colts were then able to tack on another three points on the ensuing drive, marking 20 unanswered points going back to the end of the first half. Chris Johnson became a non-factor for the rest of the game. 

If the Titans can get anywhere near the production they got of Johnson in the first half of the teams' meeting, it should help them use up more clock and keep Andrew Luck off the field.

Unleash Justin Hunter

Tennessee didn't appear to have Justin Hunter featured heavily in the game plan in the first game against the Colts, before suffering a concussion on his only target of the game. However, after Hunter's breakout performance against the Oakland Raiders last week, the Titans need to stop wasting snaps on the drop-prone Kenny Britt.

Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter proved to be too much for the Raiders secondary to handle, while Nate Washington provided several timely receptions to keep drives alive. The Colts weren't prepared for the Titans' heavy usage of crossing routes and no-huddle offense in the first meeting, but will likely be better prepared this go-round.

Slipping Hunter into the equation should give the Colts another issue they may not be prepared to handle. Ryan Fitzpatrick appears to have fully settled into Dowell Loggains' offense that has been modified to suit his strengths rather than Jake Locker's.

The decision to give Hunter a more prominent role paid immediate dividends, don't back off it now.