Tennessee Titans: Instant analysis of Week 2 loss to Colts

The Tennessee Titans lost their Week 2 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

It was a hard-fought battle, but the Tennessee Titans came up short and lost to the Indianapolis Colts 19-17 in Week 2.

Let’s break it all down on both sides of the ball after what was nothing short of a disappointing loss on the same day the Titans retired the jerseys of Eddie George and Steve McNair.

Offense

-The Titans offensive line was not good in this game after what was a decent showing in Week 1. Marcus Mariota (19-of-28, 154 yards, 1 TD) was constantly under pressure (sacked four times), and had to make the most of what was given to him. People will argue Mariota needs to play better, but that just isn’t telling the whole story of what happened on Sunday.

-Derrick Henry was effective once again, rushing for 81 yards on 15 carries (5.4 yards per carry) and one touchdown. It was a solid game for the rushing attack, albeit not the dominant one we expected. It was also difficult to really get Henry going without an air attack to support him.

-Tennessee got almost nothing from their receivers, which isn’t surprising considering Mariota had barely any time to actually look for them down the field. The Oregon product was forced into short throws for much of the contest.

Defense

-The Titans defense was on point for most of this game and did exactly what it needed to do in stopping the Colts ground game. The only exception was a back-breaking run by Jordan Wilkins late in the fourth quarter that ended up being the difference in this game.

-The fact that the Titans pass-rush only notched two sacks in this game was disappointing. Tennessee was getting constant pressure, however Jacoby Brissett was able to evade it on multiple occasions and avoid taking sacks. The Titans must do a better job finishing.

-Logan Ryan was sensational in this game, but there were major hiccups around the rest of the secondary that led to two Colts scores.

Adoree’ Jackson’s pass interference on an underthrown ball in the first quarter set the Colts up for their first score. Jackson was initially beat, but Brissett didn’t get the ball to his receiver in a good spot, which made the PI unnecessary.

In the second quarter, the Colts were faced with a 3rd-and-15 and were able to complete a 19-yard strike to T.Y. Hilton.

Same old Titans

It’s incredibly difficult to be optimistic after this loss. The Titans came out and won a huge game in Week 1, only to come out in Week 2 and fall totally flat. Not to mention, this is another loss to a Colts team that has had the Titans number for far too long — and Andrew Luck wasn’t even on the field.