Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans: Complete Week 17 Preview for Tennessee
It's been a long season for the Tennessee Titans. Between injuries, scheme shifts and some unfortunate luck, the Titans face the Indianapolis Colts in their last game at a paltry 2-13.
The Titans are locked into the second overall pick, even if they win (unless the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints), so the only thing on the line is pride.
The Colts didn't look so hot against Dallas, scoring only one touchdown in a 42-7 rout. Will that be fuel to their fire, or is it a hope that the Titans can at least wrap up their miserable season with a win over a division rival?
Here's a preview of the Titans' last AFC South matchup, and their last game of the season.
Week 16 Recap
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For a while, the Titans had control of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, scoring the first 10 points of the game via a field goal and an opening drive touchdown.
After that, it was all Jacksonville. Blake Bortles marched the Jaguars down the field three times to take an 11-point lead. The Titans kicked a field goal near the end of regulation, but it was too little, too late.
Charlie Whitehurst looked good in the first quarter, and the Titans offense looked more alive under Whitehurst than it had for weeks. Unfortunately, the progress soon stopped, as the Titans had only one drive longer than 40 yards after the first quarter.
Of course, by losing, the Titans secured a higher draft pick, so one could argue that they came out as the winners of the meaningless game.
News and Notes
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The Senior Bowl usually features the coaching staff of the two worst teams in the NFL, which, this year, would include the Titans, regardless of what happens against the Colts.
Per John Glennon of The Tennessean, Ken Whisenhunt said he would gladly accept the invitation to coach if asked.
Since the Titans may or may not be in the market for a quarterback, getting a chance to look at some of the prospects more closely would be huge for the Titans. Mettenberger has shown flashes, but that's all he's shown.
If the Titans think Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston or another player will be a franchise guy, they'd be crazy not to draft them. Mariota and Winston are both underclassmen, but Blake Bortles wasn't a consensus top-five pick at this point last year, so getting to look at the other prospects would still be helpful.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Status |
| Zach Mettenberger | QB | Doubtful |
Excluding the players that the Titans placed on injured reserve in weeks prior, the only player currently listed as injured is quarterback Zach Mettenberger.
Mettenberger had limited practice on Wednesday, and the Titans do get a mini-bye from their Thursday night matchup, but Mettenberger's shoulder was serious. He's listed as doubtful, and I wouldn't expect him to play.
If nothing else, he'd be far from 100 percent, and another start against a usually good Colts team while playing with an injury won't tell us much we don't already know about Mettenberger as a long-term solution.
All injury information taken from ESPN's injury report on the Tennessee Titans.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Jason McCourty vs. T.Y. Hilton
Hilton was absent in the Colts' game against the Cowboys, and he was sorely missed. Andrew Luck saw a ton of dropped passes, and Indianapolis ended the game with only seven points via a fourth-quarter touchdown.
With Hilton back from injury, McCourty will hopefully have a leg up on him. If he can contain Hilton, there's good reason to think that the Colts would struggle offensively.
Colts' Rushers vs. Titans Defense
The Titans have the worst rushing defense in the NFL. The Colts may not have the worst rushing offense, but they're in the bottom half, and against the Cowboys, the Colts' three running backs totaled one yard on 10 total carries.
The Titans may have an opportunity to limit the Colts on offense if they can keep the run shut down. Given Luck's struggles in Week 16, without a running game, he'll have trouble.
X-Factor: Taylor Lewan
Taylor Lewan is no longer listed on the Titans' injury report, which means he should play against Indianapolis. The Titans have had severe problems at offensive line due to injuries, but they have been better in the last few games.
With the group improving, and now with a huge upgrade at the unit's most important position, Whitehurst will have a lot less to worry about.
Prediction
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This game means nothing for the Titans, although they'd certainly like to end the season on a positive note.
For the Colts, however, this game could be the deciding factor in whether or not they pick up a bye in the playoffs, so they'll be looking for the win for sure.
Then there's the added issue of how bad the Colts looked against the Cowboys, and you can bet that the team will want to go into the postseason on a positive note. Resting starters simply won't happen.
Indianapolis trounced Tennessee 41-17 in their last matchup, and if anything, the Titans are in worse shape now than they were in Week 4.
The Titans will have home-field advantage this time around, but that hasn't done much for them so far this season, so there's little reason it'll be the deciding factor this time.
Prediction: Colts 35, Titans 14
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