Colts vs. Titans: Week 13 defense grades
By Ryan Stano
It was an up and down effort from the defense today in a 31-17 loss. One thing is for certain though; this loss can’t be pinned on them.
The game started out very well for the Colts. They forced a turnover on the first play from scrimmage, and then scored right after that. But soon after that, it was downhill. The team imploded on itself and lost the game. Here is how each unit graded.
Tennessee ran for 154 yards on the Colts. That is a product of the offensive line getting push up front and bullying the defensive line. Because of that push, the Titans were able to control he flow of the game. Jabaal Sheard did have a sack and Denico Autry has a half-sack. But the poor run defense was too much to overcome.
Part of the reason the Colts were able to get 6 sacks today is because of the play from the linebackers. Darius Leonard had 2 of those sacks to go along with his 11 tackles. Anthony Walker forced a fumble on the first play from scrimmage and had 12 tackles and a half-sack.
Bobby Okereke also made a nice play. He had a strip sack that the Colts were able to recover. Even though it didn’t end up in points, it was still good play that took Tennessee off the field. The linebackers were the best defensive unit on the field today.
Malik Hooker started things off well by recovering a fumble on the first play. Kenny Moore also joined the sack party with a half-sack. The secondary hell Ryan Tannehill to just 182 yards. Unfortunately, the unit still allowed Tannehill to throw for 2 touchdowns in this one as well.
The defense forced turnovers early, but it wasn’t enough to keep the team ahead and win because of poor special teams and offense.