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Tennessee Titans: Time is now to beat Andrew Luck’s Colts

By Matias Wodner

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 20: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts is sacked by Derrick Morgan #91 of the Tennessee Titans during the second half of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 20, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 20: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts is sacked by Derrick Morgan #91 of the Tennessee Titans during the second half of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 20, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee Titans have never beaten Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck in a game. There are no more excuses for losing to him.

Every football team has arch nemeses that have tortured them for years, as they seemingly always come up with huge performances against . When thinking about players who have owned the Tennessee Titans franchise throughout the past two decades, players like Peyton Manning and Andre Johnson come to mind. But over the last five years, there has been one man who the Titans simply cannot beat: Andrew Luck.

Drafted in 2012 with the first overall pick, Luck immediately filled the vacancy left by Manning in Indianapolis. Luck was considered a once-in-a-generation prospect. While he hasn’t quite lived up to that mantle (no one truly can), Luck has been one of the league’s few elite quarterbacks over the past half-decade. The Titans would admit that. Time and time again, Luck has escaped pressure and delivered strikes all over the field against Tennessee. And he has done all of that in wins, as he’s 9-0 in his career against the Titans.

Here are his stat lines in every game he’s ever played against the Two-Tone Blue.

2012

Colts 19-13 Titans (OT): 26/38, 297 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 28 rush yards
Titans 23-27 Colts: 16/34, 196 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 7 rush yards

2013

Colts 30-27 Titans: 23/36, 232 passing yards, 31 rush yards, 1 TD
Titans 14-22 Colts: 17/32, 200 passing yards, 1 INT, 42 rush yards

2014

Titans 17-40 Colts: 29/41, 393 passing yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, -1 rush yards
Colts 27-10 Titans: 10/16, 160 passing yards, 2 TDs, 5 rush yards

2015

Colts 35-33 Titans: 18/30, 266 passing yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTS, 21 rush yards

2016

Colts 34-26 Titans: 27/39, 353 passing yards, 3 TDs, 17 rush yards
Titans 17-24 Colts: 15/28, 262 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 22 rush yards

Over nine games against the Titans in his career, Luck averages a 61.6 completion percentage, 262.1 passing yards, 1.8 total touchdowns, 0.89 interceptions and 19.1 rush yards. Those numbers are well below his career averages against all other teams combined. Division games are notoriously tougher, but Luck has faced some truly inept Titans defenses in the past and hasn’t exactly lit them up.

This bodes well for the Titans this year, as Tennessee sports the top scoring defense in the NFL and a top 10 unit in terms of passing yards allowed and yards per attempt allowed through the air. The Titans are also one of the top defenses at generating pressure on quarterbacks. That will come in handy against a Colts offensive line that has kept Luck without getting sacked in each of the past four games. A lot of that can be attributed to the offensive scheme, which allows for Luck to get rid of the ball quickly and minimize the risk of pressure getting home.

Luck is sporting career highs in completion percentage and touchdown rate, and he’s close to on pace to breaking his single-season passing yards record. He’s in rhythm and within an offense that fits him well, but he is yet to face a defensive unit as stout and playing as well as the Titans’ defense is. Could the 10th time be the charm for the Titans when it comes to beating Luck? Let’s hope fortune is on their side.

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