Colts Fall To The Titans, 20-16

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have revenge on their minds, as they play host to their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans, today at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Titans (6-4) were able to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Colts (3-7) back in Week 6 with their 36-22 victory in Nashville on Monday Night Football. So how will the Colts respond, coming off their late-season bye week? Here are some major plays as they happened each quarter in the game itself: FIRST QUARTER 11:28: Welcome back Clayton Geathers — well, sort of. Making his 2017 debut on Sunday after undergoing offseason neck surgery, the Colts sent Geathers in on the blitz on the Titans' opening drive on 3rd and 11 from the Indianapolis 44, and he was able to sack Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota for a huge eight-yard loss. However, a holding call in the secondary on cornerback Rashaan Melvin not only nullified the play for Geathers, but gave the Titans an automatic first down. Regardless, it's huge for Geathers and the Colts' defense in general to see No. 26 back and making plays, even if it's just for the final six weeks of the regular season. 7:54: Ryan Succop connects on a 29-yard field goal to put the Titans up 3-0. Tennessee is able to take advantage of the aforementioned third-down penalty, though not fully, as the Titans go 53 yards in 11 plays and take 6:09 off the clock on their first drive of the ballgame. 1:52: Succop again connects, this time from 45 yards out, to give the Titans a 6-0 lead. The Colts' offense to this point has been brutal through its first two drives: two three-and-outs, including two third-down sacks and a run that was stuffed for a loss of four yards. If nothing else, the offense needs to get a few first downs going to give the defense a breather, or else things can get out of hand quickly. 0:00: At the end of the first quarter, the Titans lead the Colts, 6-0. SECOND QUARTER 10:05: The Colts' offense finally gets into a little rhythm, thanks in large part to a hands-to-the-face penalty called on the Titans on a play in which they otherwise sacked Jacoby Brissett and stripped him of the ball on third down, extending the drive for Indy. But the Colts would only get as close as the Titans' eight-yard line, and Adam Vinatieri comes on to hit a 26-yard field goal to cut the Tennessee lead to 6-3. A decent 14-play, 67-yard drive that took 6:47 off the clock for the Colts, though. **8:38:* Melvin's career year continues. The Colts' No. 1 cornerback picks off Mariota at the Indianapolis 45-yard line, giving the fifth-year Northern Illinois product three interceptions on the season. But it might've come at a price, as Melvin headed to the locker room after the athletic, sliding play, and looked to be favoring his shoulder/arm/wrist. Stay tuned for more info. INJURY UPDATE: The Colts announce Melvin is having an X-ray on his hand, and his status to return is unknown. 2:07: A 28-yard field goal from Vinatieri ties the game at 6-all. The Colts, once again, get into the red zone, and the Colts, once again, can't capitalize. Also, the Titans currently have six sacks so far in the game; there's still 32:07 left in this one. Lots to clean up heading into the halftime break for the Indy offense. 1:54: Nate Hairston has had a tremendous rookie season as the Colts' primary nickel cornerback, and it just got even better, as he logs his first-career interception, and the second pick in the Titans' last two drives. Mariota overthrows his receiver, who tripped, and safety Darius Butler gets his hands on the ball, but begins to bobble it. Hairston is right there, however, to secure the football and return it 10 yards to the Tennessee 34-yard line. Credit Jabaal Sheard with a big pressure on the play, too, as he pushed his offensive lineman right into Mariota's lap and might've hurried that throw. INJURY UPDATE: The Colts announce Melvin (hand) is OUT for the remainder of the game. Look for lots of undrafted rookie Kenny Moore II, who has been the team's top special teams tackler this season but has limited experience with the defense to this point. 0:38: The Colts' offense capitalizes. Frank Gore finds the end zone for the third time this season, as his 14-yard touchdown run puts Indy up 13-6 heading into halftime. Gore ties the great Tony Dorsett for 22nd in league history with 77 career rushing touchdowns. THIRD QUARTERINJURY UPDATE: Colts center Ryan Kelly has been ruled out with a concussion. Mike Person will replace him for an offensive line that has had its challenges to this point of the ballgame, but settled down nicely towards the end of the first half. *6:05: The Colts extend their lead to 16-6 on a 42-yard field goal from Vinatieri, his third field goal of the day. The drive was Indy's third with 10-plus plays; the Colts go 55 yards in 13 plays and take 6:57 off the clock, though another Tennessee sack — its seventh of the game — kept the Indianapolis offense from sniffing the end zone. 1:50: A major gaffe for the Colts' offense, as Marlon Mack fumbles a pitch from Brissett, which is recovered at the Indianapolis 4-yard line. On the Titans' first play — after an offsides call on the Indy defensive front — Mariota finds tight end Delanie Walker for a two-yard touchdown pass. After the extra point, the Titans get within three points again, 16-13. These are the types of mistakes that have haunted the Colts in the second half of games week after week after week. The good news: the Colts still have the lead, and the kickoff is coming their way. FOURTH QUARTER 5:59: The Colts' defense has been doing a fantastic job against the Titans' usually-potent rushing attack, limiting Tennessee to just three yards on the ground through three quarters today. But on this drive, the Titans stayed true to their identity, using a run-heavy approach to retake the lead, 20-16, on a one-yard touchdown run by DeMarco Murray. It was a nine-play, 77-yard drive that took 5:25 off the clock. The Colts will need to get into the end zone once again if they want to win this divisional matchup and avoid giving the Titans not only their first win ever at Lucas Oil Stadium, but their first sweep in the series since 2002. 0:00: **The Colts fall to the Titans, 20-16. It's the fifth time Indy has led in the fourth quarter this season and couldn't come away with the victory, and the sixth time overall they've led in the second half and lost. Indy (3-8) next week travels to take on the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars.The Colts have teamed up with Uber and ICJI to help fans ride responsibly on game day! Download the Uber app and enter code COLTS2016 for a free first ride up to $15. Make the right call — get home safe with Uber!

Colts Fall To The Titans, 20-16

Intro: The Indianapolis Colts today play host to the Tennessee Titans in their 2017 regular season Week 12 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium. Check back here for updates from the game.

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