The Colts defense came up big at the end of the game, as they were able to win 19-17. Here is how each group graded out.
The Colts continue to own the Titans, as they won a tough one in Tennessee in the heat. They were able to win on the strength of their defense, which only allowed 3 points off of two Colts turnovers. Here is how each unit played in this game.
Denico Autry played another great game. He took over at times in this one, recording two sacks. He was a monster and wrecked several plays on the interior. Grover Stewart also had a sack in this game. The defensive line constantly moved the pocket around and made Marcus Mariota uncomfortable.
Darius Leonard had a bounce back game in this one. He had 10 tackles and a sack, and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Titans. Leonard had a terrible game in the opener, so it was nice to see him turn it around and make some plays.
His performance was so good, that it was able to overshadow how poor the other linebackers played. Anthony Walker only had one tackle, and Matthew Adams only had two. Neither played their best games, but Leonard covered for them.
There were several times in this game where Mariota had issues finding open receivers. The corners did a really good job locking down receivers. Mariota only had 154 yards passing in this game. Late in the contest, the secondary really locked in and prevented the Titans from moving the ball.
The Colts have been playing a decent amount of young guys on defense. Khari Willis is one of those young guys. He is a rookie that played a lot in this game at safety. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him start over Clayton Geathers at some point this season.
This was a much better performance for the defense than the opener was. This is the type of defense is what the Colts were supposed to have from the start.