Colts vs. Titans: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Indianapolis Colts were on the precipice of falling to 0-3 on Sunday but staged a remarkable road rally to save their season in a 35-33 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

"As gutsy a win as I've ever been a part of. ... This was exactly what this team needed," said Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano afterward, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star.

Pagano wasn't being hyperbolic considering what was at stake for a team expected to contend for the Lombardi Trophy.   

For all the deserved criticism Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has taken because of his penchant for turnovers, two critical interceptions by his Week 3 counterpart, Marcus Mariota, ultimately decided Sunday's AFC South battle.

Tennessee didn't respond well to the Colts' first-quarter touchdown drive that Frank Gore capped off with a one-yard touchdown plunge.

At the 12:59 mark in the second, Mariota threw his first NFL interception in trying to fit a ball into Delanie Walker through a tight window. The ball popped out of Walker's grasp and into the hands of Dwight Lowery, who took it 69 yards to the house for a 14-0 edge.

CBS 4's Steve Andress hinted at the patchwork state of the Colts secondary on one of the game's defining plays:

But Mariota didn't flinch, orchestrating a 13-play, 83-yard march on the Titans' last possession of the first half that led to a seven-yard TD strike to Kendall Wright. That was preceded by a field-goal drive and helped the Titans cut the deficit to 14-10 at halftime.

The home team's momentum continued into the third quarter on an eight-yard scoring scamper from running back Antonio Andrews. Luck threw two interceptions in as many possessions after going three-and-out to start the second half. Tennessee scored 10 points off those errors to push its lead to 27-14.

SportsCenter re-emphasized how careless Luck has been with the ball of late:

Eventually a player of Luck's caliber was going to overcome pass-protection issues and the general poor play he'd experienced, though. It started at the Indianapolis 2, as Luck put together a 98-yard drive, culminating in a potential season-turning play for the Colts.

On a 3rd-and-20, Luck found rookie first-round pick Phillip Dorsett for a 35-yard TD. The pressure was squarely, suddenly back on the Titans to hold their lead after scoring 24 unanswered points.

Looking like a first-year pro, Mariota locked on to his target and was picked off by Lowery for the second time of the day. Will Reeve was rightly critical of Mariota's lapse in decision-making:

Luck needed just one play to make Mariota and Tennessee pay, thanks largely to Donte Moncrief's ball skills in the end zone.

A three-and-out followed for the Titans. Five plays from scrimmage later, Gore rumbled across the goal line from six yards out to hang 21 unanswered in the fourth set up by more brilliance from Luck.

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted how clutch Luck was down the stretch:

To Mariota's credit, he mustered up the fortitude to bounce back one more time, again suggesting he has a bright future. Completions of 13, 20, 11 and 19 yards—aided by an Erik Walden roughing-the-passer penalty therein—positioned Jalston Fowler for a one-yard plunge to cut the deficit to 35-33.

Unfortunately, the Titans failed to convert the two-point try to tie by handing it to Fowler, suffering a heartbreaking loss in a contest that changes the complexion of the division. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller didn't agree with the play Tennessee dialed up late:

Pagano was certainly fired up after the game, per the team's official Twitter account:

Colts fans had to be uneasy while Tennessee surged ahead by 13, but Luck never wavered and saved his best for last to rescue Indianapolis from a potential tailspin. The Indianapolis offense, at least for the last 12 minutes or so of Sunday's game, looked as dangerous as it appeared to be on paper entering 2015.

Whether Luck can carry his late heroics from Week 3 over remains to be seen. There's reason to doubt Luck because of how much of a turnover machine he's been. However, next up for Indianapolis is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who just allowed a whopping 51 points to New England in Week 3.

Tough as this loss will be for Tennessee to overcome, there's a silver lining to be had for Mariota as he continues to grow and appears to be the long-term answer under center for the Titans. Mariota's job won't get much easier, though, as his team welcomes the Buffalo Bills' vaunted defense to Nashville in Week 4 for the second of four consecutive home games.

Tennessee has to win at least two of the next three to be taken seriously as a real threat to overtake Indianapolis for the division title. The AFC South is wide-open as every team sits with a 1-2 record, and the Colts have to be considered the favorites once more after Sunday's remarkable comeback.