Colts Rally vs Titans for First Win of Season, 35-33

It looked like this game was over. Down 13 points at the end of the third quarter, Andrew Luck had just thrown interceptions on back-to-back drives and the defense was being picked apart.

But it turned out to be another classic rally by Luck and the Colts who would rattle off 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter on the way to their first win of the season.

The Colts offense barely touched the ball for most of the first half, and weren’t very effective when they did have the ball. The offense scored just seven points, a number the defense would match off a Dwight Lowery interception return for a touchdown.

Luck’s stat line wasn’t too impressive, completing 18-of-30 attempts for 260 yards two touchdowns and two interceptions, but he turned it on just when the team needed it the most.

The Colts offense still has problems to address but a win at least keeps the season relevant and prevents the team from becoming completely unhinged. The long stretches of complete ineptitude have to be solved and soon (with most of it falling on Luck’s shoulders).

The Colts shuffled the offensive line, benching Lance Louis and replacing him with Hugh Thornton. The move did not work in the slightest as Thornton was responsible for four holding calls, two of which came on the same drive and negated big plays.

After the Colts took a 14-0 lead, the Titans managed to rattle off 27 unanswered points. The Colts went from down three to down 13 in a matter of minutes thanks to two horrible Luck interceptions in the third quarter.

The Colts got a big game out of Frank Gore today, who only carried the ball 14 time but managed to rush for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was well on his way to the Colts first 100 yard day from a rusher, but the offense had to abandon the run to complete the comeback.

Rookie receiver Phillip Dorsett had his first NFL touchdown today, catching two passes for 43 yards. Donte Moncrief continued his breakout year with four receptions for 32 yards and the go-ahead touchdown for the Colts in the fourth.

On defense, the Colts failed to generate anything resembling pressure on Titans QB Marcus Mariota for most of the afternoon. With a clean pocket, the rookie was able to pick apart the defense to the tune of 367 passing yards. Lowery was credited with two interceptions off the rookie, but only one was truly Mariota’s fault.

The Titans had a chance to rally, moving the ball 80 yards for the touchdown with relative ease. But a run play up the gut on the two-point conversion was thoroughly stuffed by the Colts and the onside kick attempt went out of bounds.

The Colts still have issues to address, but they will face another soft opponent in the Jacksonville Jaguars next week in the comfortable confines of Lucas Oil Stadium.