Titans vs Colts: 6 Major Mistakes That Led to Defeat for Tennessee
It looks like the Tennessee Titans will be reduced the role of spoiler for the final three games after dropping their sixth-straight loss to the Colts on Thursday night.
The Titans definitely showed a lot more heart than their previous loss to the Jaguars, but the end result was still defeat.
Once again, the Titans were a bigger enemy to themselves than the actual opponent. In fact, the Colts spotted them one when Blair White got tangled up in a passing route to Reggie Wayne. It should have easily been a touchdown to go up 28-7.
Guys like Jason Babin, Ahmard Hall, and a handful of others stepped up big tonight to make this an interesting game.
Despite the great effort, there were still plenty of costly errors that kept the Titans from keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.
Bad Snap to Punter Brett Kern
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The Titans must have caught the special teams bug that the Chargers had to start the season, because a horrible snap over Brett Kern's head.
Peyton Manning is already good enough when he starts his drives at his own 20-yard line, but giving him starting field position in the redzone is never going to end well.
This play essentially put the game out of reach despite the strong comeback attempt by Kerry Collins and company.
Amazingly enough the Titans haven't had too many problems on special teams this season. It definitely hurt them tonight.
Kenny Britt Fumble, Plus The Play Itself
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This was another back breaker that drastically changed the makeup of the game.
At this point, the Titans were only down 7-0. That offense that would later lead a gutsy comeback attempt showed a lot of life on this drive.
It looked like the Titans offense was ready to match the Colts step for step, and that Kenny Britt was going to be a huge part of that.
On a second and one, the coaching staff decided to call for quick pass to the outside to Britt instead of taking what should be an easy first down on the ground.
Chris Johnson already had gains of five and six yards on the drive. Another questionable play-call from Jeff Fisher.
Some of the blame should rest on Britt's shoulders for not protecting the football better, but the play should have never been called on second and one.
Cortland Finnegan Gets Beat Deep By Reggie Wayne
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Cortland Finnegan should probably stop running his mouth from now on until he starts backing it up on the field.
Reggie Wayne absolutely had his way with Finnegan for most of the night, including the 50-yard catch early in the second quarter.
This play set up the Colts at the Titans' 13-yard line, which ended with the Colts being up 14-0.
On the replay it looked like Finnegan lost his balance when trying to keep pace with Wayne, but Finnegan has to live up to the hype on that play.
This play occurred on a third and 14, so it's inexcusable that Finnegan gets beat deep. Wayne made it seem like an easy night's work.
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Dropped Ball By Nate Washington
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Nate Washington has been the Titans' leading receiver up to this point, but he had a costly drop that stalled yet another drive that had some promise to it.
You can't leave points on the board when you're playing the Colts. The Titans did that on this drive that could have possibly cut the lead in half at 14-7.
The next play was the crucial botched snap during the punt.
To Washington's credit, he did make up for it by making an insane catch to keep another drive alive. It later led to a touchdown, but by that time the Titans were already down big.
Missed Tackles On Pierre Garcon Leads To Huge Gain
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To probably everyone's surprise, the Titans were still very much alive in this game up to this point with Pierre Garcon.
This play proved to be a huge back-breaker for the Titans, and it came down to missed tackles by both Chris Hope and Michael Griffin.
If either Hope or Griffin make that tackle, then the Colts are pushed into a third and short with a questionable rushing attack.
Instead, the Colts kick a decisive field goal to push the game to a two-score lead with little time remaining.
This use to be a routine play for a Titans defense, but something has went wrong on the defensive side of the ball. Lack of discipline is where it starts, and they were lacking plenty on this play.
Watching this play in the film room will be hard to stomach for defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil and the rest of the defense.
Opting to Go For The Touchdown Instead of Kicking the Field Goal
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With the Titans down 30-21, it came down to getting a quick score plus the onside kick.
The Titans offense ended up playing right into the hands of the Colts defense by taking short completions in return for 10-plus seconds off the clock.
With around 30 seconds left, the Titans called their final timeout at the Colts' 24-yard line.
Kicking the field goal could have given the Titans a better shot at pulling off the miracle comeback. Either way the Titans had to eventually get an onside kick, so why not preserve the clock and get the quick three points?
The NFL Network crew made it quite clear during the broadcast and it really made sense.
We all saw how it ended with the Titans scoring the touchdown with no time left. Game over, thanks for playing.
Assuming they would've gotten the onside kick, you have to wonder if the Titans could have pieced together two or three plays along the sideline to set up a couple strikes to the endzone.
Don't we have a guy named Randy Moss?
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