By: Jack Gold

Sunday’s Titans (3-12) vs Colts (6-8) matchup in Indianapolis features two teams amidst similarly underwhelming seasons with unclear solutions for the future.

Last Time Out

Titans 27

Bengals 37

TEN

Will Levis – 8/12, 89 yds, 3 INT, 1 FUM

Mason Rudolph – 21/26, 209 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

Tyjae Spears – 4 car, 5 yds, 1 TD, 6 rec, 87 yds, 1 TD

CIN

Joe Burrow – 26/37, 271 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT

Chase Brown, 25 car, 97 yds, 1 TD, 3 red, 16 yds, 1 TD

Ja’Marr Chase – 9 rec, 94 yds

Tee Higgins – 5 rec, 88 yds, 1 TD

Colts 13

Broncos 31

IND

Anthony Richardson – 17/38, 172 yds, 2 INT, 7 car, 46 yds, 1 TD

Jonathan Taylor – 22 car, 107 yds

Michael Pittman – 6 rec, 58 yds

DEN

Bo Nix – 20/33, 130 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT

Courtland Sutton – 3 rec, 32 yds, 1 TD

The Matchup

Titans Offense vs Colts Defense

With Mason Rudolph at the helm, the Titans’ offense will look much different this week. No longer will there be the explosive, 50-yard bombs Will Levis could provide, but the league-leading four pick-sixes and constant negative plays are likely gone as well. A successful Rudolph-led offense will look to control the time of possession by running the ball well and dinking and dunking down the field while limiting turnovers – something that requires a high level of complementary football to be successful.

The room for error will be small in an offense starved of big plays, making every player’s performance even more important. Outside of the obvious – that being Rudolph’s role – Calvin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine will have to come up with contested catches – especially on third down. On early downs, Chig Okonkwo needs to continue to gain yards after the catch on short throws, and Tony Pollard has to be sure to take care of the ball on the ground.

The Colts defense is a below-average unit that has played better as of late. In a fashion similar to what the Titans’ defense has grown accustomed to, the group did their job on Sunday, but the offense’s incompetence cost them. They forced three turnovers and allowed under 200 yards to the Broncos’ offense but still lost 31-13.

That performance was more of an anomaly than anything though. The team is bottom-10 in the NFL in rush yards, pass yards and first downs allowed. The lone saving grace, however, is that they are top-10 in takeaways – something the Titans, regardless of QB, have struggled with.

Colts Offense vs Titans Defense

Much like the Titans, the Colts offense, led by Anthony Richardson, has severely underwhelmed this season. Richardson has struggled mightily with accuracy and turnover problems, while also making one or two awesome plays a game. After being benched due to poor play early in the year, AR was moved back into the starting role in week 11 and has improved while still looking like a guy who could one day face a similar fate as Will Levis has this week.

Running back Jonathan Taylor remains the top option for the Colts offense. Though he has yet to return to his 2021 form where he rushed for over 1800 yards, Taylor remains a top-10 back in the league due to his combination of top-end speed and power. In the red zone, he and Richardson are a great combination comparable to a dollar-store version of what Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are for the Ravens. 

As is every week, the combination of Jeff Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat has been one of the best in the NFL against the run and will make it hard for the Colts to accomplish what they want to on the ground, however, when last facing a mobile QB, Jayden Daniels, the Titans struggled immensely against the run. 

On the outside, Chidobe Awuzie will likely draw Colts WR Michael Pittman – a good player who struggles to get elite separation but makes up for it with great contested catch skills. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. will also draw a tough matchup with Josh Downs – a speedy slot receiver who played very well against the Titans in their week six matchup. 

Things to Watch

The Quarterback Change

Most fans (and probably the front office and coaching staff) know that Rudolph is what he is – a backup quarterback who is not a long-term answer at starter – but the constant blow-ups from Levis have forced Brian Callahan’s hand to make the move.

Rudolph will be responsible for taking care of the ball and keeping the offense on schedule. If he can accomplish that and make the offense look like a semi-functional NFL unit, the move will be worthwhile for the overall outlook of the team and coaching staff. If he can’t and faces struggles similar to Levis, then a different conversation will have to be had on whether the move was even worth the storm it caused.

Overall Effort

A common occurrence with teams at the bottom of the NFL this late in the year is players who are checked out. That hasn’t been the case at all for this Titans team – a good sign that Brian Callahan is doing something right despite the win-loss record – but it is always a possibility when a franchise has a season as rough as this one has been for the Titans. Further confirmation through the end of the year that the guys are bought into the staff’s vision and continuing to play for each other would go a long way in building confidence for 2025 and beyond.

Young Players

One positive that can be taken from the 2024 season is the rookie draft class. JC Latham and T’Vondre Sweat look like potential cornerstone pieces, Jarvis Brownlee looks like a tremendous fifth-round pick and James Williams and Jaylen Harrell are contributing every week as seventh-rounders. Even looking back at last year’s draft, Peter Skoronski is blossoming into the player you drafted him to be after an up-and-down rookie year, and both Tyjae Spears and Josh Whyle look like solid picks as well.

Sunday will be another opportunity for all of those guys to continue to gain game experience – the most important thing for young players’ development.

Game Information

Tennessee Titans vs Indianapolis Colts

Time: December 22, 2024 @ 12:00 PM CDT

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)

TV Broadcast: CBS

TV Broadcast Crew: Tom McCarthy, Jay Feely, Ross Tucker, Tiffany Blackmon

Radio: Titans Radio (104-5 The Zone)

Radio Crew: Mike Keith, Dave McGinnis, Ramon Foster, Rhett Bryan, Amie Wells

Referee: John Hussey

Line: IND -3.5

Over/Under: 42.5