The Titans finally start AFC South portion of schedule hosting banged-up Colts

Updated Oct. 12, 2024 4:49 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Indianapolis (2-3) at Tennessee (1-3)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Titans by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Colts 4-1; Titans 1-3.

Last meeting: The Colts beat the Titans 31-28 in OT on Dec. 3, 2023, at Nashville.

Last week: Colts lost 37-34 at Jacksonville; Titans had bye after beating Miami 31-12 on Sept. 30.

Colts offense: overall (13), rush (12), pass (12), scoring (13).

Colts defense: overall (32), rush (31), pass (29), scoring (25).

Titans offense: overall (30), rush (18), pass (29), scoring (20).

Titans defense: overall (1), rush (15), pass (1), scoring (15).

Turnover differential: Colts plus-1; Titans minus-7

Colts player to watch

Alec Pierce. The third-year receiver has provided Indy with the big-play threat it's lacked in recent seasons. He leads the NFL at 28.3 yards per catch, already has established a new single-season career high with three TD catches and last week he almost single-handedly brought the Colts back at Jacksonville with three straight catches for a career-best 134 yards. He's looking for a strong encore this week.

Titans player to watch

QB Will Levis. He and Anthony Richardson both were drafted in 2023, and Levis has started more games than the fourth overall pick out of Florida. But both are tied with six interceptions this season — most in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes has been picked off six times, but the Chiefs have played five games. Levis has finished only three of his four starts this season after hurting his throwing shoulder trying to run for a first down against Miami.

Key injuries

Colts QB Anthony Richardson (hip) and Pro Bowl C Ryan Kelly (neck) both practiced. The NFL's 2021 rushing champ Jonathan Taylor (ankle) didn't in a similar scenario to last week when all three sat out. The Colts also must decide on starting DE Kwity Paye (quadricep) and Pro Bowl CB Kenny Moore II (hip), who also sat out last week. If Richardson misses another game, Joe Flacco will make his second straight start. If Kelly is out, the Colts may starting two rookies — center Tanor Bortolini and right guard Dalton Tucker — with Will Fries on injured reserve following surgery on his injured lower right leg. WR Michael Pittman Jr. has a back injury that may force the Colts to put him on injured reserve. ... Titans QB Will Levis will start after working his way back from an injury to his throwing shoulder that knocked him out of their previous game. ... Two-time Pro Bowl DL Jeffery Simmons said he'll be back after two weeks because of an injury to his left elbow. The Titans, who declared S Jamal Adams out for this game with an injured hip, put the three-time Pro Bowler on reserve with a non-football injury Saturday. DL Keondre Coburn (knee) will not play.

Series notes

Indy swept the Titans last season after losing the previous five in the series. ... Indy is 15-7 on the road against the Titans since they relocated to Nashville. ... The teams have only met once in the postseason with Tennessee handing Peyton Manning a 19-16 loss in his first playoff game in Indy. ... The Colts and Titans only met six times when the franchises were located in Baltimore and Houston and eight times when Houston squared off with Indianapolis. They became division rivals in 2002.

Stats and stuff

The Colts are 0-2 in division play this season, have lost three straight AFC South games and are 4-9-1 against division foes since 2021. They trail defending division champ Houston by two games. ... This is the Titans' AFC South opener. ... Indy ranks third in the NFL with 24 plays of 20 or more yards this season. It also has scored 20 or more points in 17 of the past 21 games. ... With Richardson out last week, Flacco made his starting debut with the Colts. Richardson is 4-4 as a starter. The 39-year-old Flacco is 103-85. ... With 78 scrimmage yards, Taylor would pass Moore (6,040) for No. 4 for a Colts player in their first five seasons. ... LB E.J. Speed had his eight-game streak with 10 or more tackles end last week in Jacksonville. It was the league's longest streak since 1987. ... Speed is tied for the NFL lead with 54 tackles. Colts CB Nick Cross is tied for third in tackles (52). ... Indy is tied for eighth with eight takeaways. It also has allowed the fourth-fewest points after a turnover this season (six). ... The Titans have won the game coming off their bye each of the past eight seasons. Only Buffalo (nine) has a longer active streak, which is second to Philadelphia's streak of 13 consecutive such wins between 1999 and 2011. ... The Titans have allowed a league-low 243.8 yards per game and also lead the NFL in passing defense giving up just 124 yards per game. They held Miami to 184 yards before their bye. ... The Titans have used the same starting offensive line for the first four games, matching the most games Tennessee used any of 11 different starting combinations in 2023. ... K Nick Folk made five field goals, including three at least 50 yards, in the Titans' first win of the season.

Fantasy tip

Titans RB Tony Pollard is coming off a season-high 108 yards from scrimmage. He is even better after contact at picking up yards and going up against a banged-up Colts defense that is among the worst in the NFL at stopping the run.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl