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Throwback Thursday: Down 13 at halftime, Colts don't panic in win over Titans

Intro: It took a while for the Colts to get things going in an early December matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Down 13 at halftime, the Colts did not panic and registered their ninth win of the season thanks to all facets contributing.

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INDIANAPOLIS –It was a script the Colts were used to in 2012.

Down 20-7 at halftime to the Tennessee Titans, there was no panic inside the home locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Colts were to receive to start the second half and with that came a methodical comeback in earning their ninth win of the season.

With a committed rushing attack, the Colts began a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that brought the Titans lead down to six points.**CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE COLTS COMEBACK VICTORY OVER THE TITANS**

The teams traded punts on back-to-back possessions before Pat McAfee knocked a 52-yarder out-of-bounds at the Titans one-yard line.

Just like the McAfee/defense duo had done a month earlier in Jacksonville, the combination would once again strike with a pivotal score.

Colts cornerback Cassius Vaughn stepped right in front of a Jake Locker pass and returned it three yards for a touchdown, giving Indianapolis a 21-20 lead.

"We believe in what we do," Vaughn said after the game. "No matter what…we believe in what we do. In the beginning of the game they were getting us on a couple deep balls, a couple come-backs. We turned it up in the second half."

Tennessee responded with a field goal early in the fourth quarter but the Colts had another comeback left in them thanks to the oldest man on the field.

Adam Vinatieri kicked 53- and 40-yard field goals in the final 6:23 of the game, giving Indianapolis a 27-23 win.

Another second half interception and some timely conversions offensively, added up to the Colts seventh victory in their last eight contests.

"The guys have a great resolve about themselves," said Interim Head Coach Bruce Arians. "It was a 60-minute game. There was no panic at halftime down 13 like we were. We've come back from down 18 points (Green Bay). We came back from down 12 last week (@Detroit). It's just, 'Make the next play.' "

OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHT:It was a struggling first half in all aspects for the Colts, including the rushing department.

After accounting for just 12 yards on 10 carries in the first half, the ground game took off in the second half.

Injuries forced Vick Ballard to play nearly the entire second half and he produced with 12 carries for 77 yards following intermission.

DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHT:Facing yet another All-Pro AFC South running back, the Colts defense was up to the challenge.

The Colts limited Titans running back Chris Johnson to 44 rushing yards on 19 carries, his lowest output in more than two months.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:It was yet another heart stopping win for the Colts. While a bit of a breather would be welcomed by most fans, Reggie Wayne chose to look at things in a different perspective.

"It'd be nice to not have one of these every once in a while," said Wayne. "One thing it does, it gets us ready. If we are lucky enough to get in the playoffs, it gets us battle-tested.

"We know if we do get down, we're capable of coming back. We've witnessed that quite a bit this year. Hopefully, we can continue to learn from it."

INTERESTING FACT(S):Following the Colts 27-23 win over the Titans, Luck's 3,739 passing yards gave him the club rookie record.

The sixth fourth quarter/overtime comeback victory broke an NFL rookie record for the most by first-year quarterbacks.

PNC SOUNDS OF THE GAME FROM THE COLTS 27-23 WIN:

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