Colts: 3 ways Indy has proven they’re better than Tennessee

Here are three ways the Colts have proven that they’re better than Tennessee.

The Indianapolis Colts will lock horns with the Tennessee Titans for the second time this season on Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium in a game that carries massive playoff implications, especially in regard to the division race.

Speaking of which, in their last matchup back in Week 10, the Colts put together arguably their most complete performance of the 2020 campaign in a convincing 34-17 victory on the road.

Though both teams shared identical records after that game, the win gave Indianapolis a slight advantage in the AFC South and they haven’t looked back since, notching perhaps a more impressive win over the Green Bay Packers in overtime last weekend after trailing by two scores at halftime.

Ironically enough, Tennessee is also fresh off an overtime win, as they toppled Baltimore after trailing by as many as eight points entering the fourth quarter to keep pace with the Colts. With that in mind, it’s pretty clear that the AFC South rivals have been on similar trajectories this season, and there hasn’t been much to separate them through 10 games.

However, when you take the entire sample size into consideration, we would assert with confidence that Indianapolis has established themselves as the more complete team, and here are three reasons that back that assertion.

3. Competent Special Teams

The Colts have an impressive special teams unit.

The importance of boasting a stable special teams unit is always overlooked until a member of the group commits a costly error that swings the momentum of a game. That was precisely the case in the Colts’ previous date with the Titans in Week 10.

In befuddling fashion, those flaws came back to haunt Tennessee on two separate occasions in that meeting, which almost never happens. One punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown, and another was shanked and set Indianapolis up with a short field, which they would ultimately capitalize on in the form of a Nyheim Hines two-yard TD scamper.

As debilitating as that issue is for the Titans, however, their kicking game has been just as suspect this season, as veteran Stephen Gostkowski is converting on just 65.2%  of his field goal attempts. For those wondering, that percentage ranks dead last in the NFL among qualified kickers.

The same simply cannot be said for the Colts. Undrafted rookie Rodrigo Blankenship has been nearly automatic, drilling 88.5% of his field goal tries and an equally-impressive 92.6% of his point after attempts. Rigoberto Sanchez has also been solid for Indy, averaging a respectable 46.5 yards per punt. Just one of his 26 punts have been blocked thus far.

Special teams matters, folks, and the Colts’ unit is vastly superior to that of Tennessee in every aspect.

2. More Balanced Offense

Any way you look at it, the Colts have the more balanced offense.

We wouldn’t dream of slandering Titans running back Derrick Henry, who is unsurprisingly leading the league with 1,079 rushing yards. However, he also ranks first in total carries (229) by a wide margin, which brings us to our next point: Tennessee’s over-reliance on him.

It’s obviously easier said than done, but getting out to a fast start against the Titans essentially makes it impossible for them to grind out drives and exhaust opposing defenses by peppering Henry with carries. We have tremendous respect for how quarterback Ryan Tannehill has turned his career around since coming over to Tennessee, but if you asked us if we’d rather him or Henry beat us, we’d side with the latter every time.

That’s a vital flaw and it simply can’t be found on the Colts’ well-balanced offense as long as Philip Rivers is taking care of the football. What makes the group such a headache to prepare for is that you never know which playmaker is going to be featured.

In the run game, one of Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines or Jordan Wilkins — all of whom have different skillsets — could steal the show. Through the air, we’ve seen the likes of Michael Pittman Jr., Zach Pascal, Trey Burton, Mo Alie-Cox, TY Hilton and Marcus Johnson all come through in different games.

Indianapolis has proven this season that they can adjust on the fly and beat teams either by running or throwing the football, and that gives them a distinct edge in the debate of who reigns supreme in the AFC South.

1. Significantly Better Defense

The Colts’ league-best defense? Yeah, pretty good.

It shouldn’t surprise anybody that Indianapolis’ dominance on the defensive side of the ball comes in at No. 1 on this list. After all, they’ve established themselves as one of the better groups in all of football, and the numbers back it up. Through 10 games, the Colts rank second in total yards allowed per game (298.1), third in passer rating (82.7) and interception rate (3.7), fourth in takeaways (17) and fifth in total points (20.8).

If those stats don’t prove that Indianapolis is just as strong against the pass as they are against the run, then nothing does. When it comes to the Titans, however, they don’t exactly flourish on defense despite having a former Pro Bowl linebacker as their head coach. Sounds odd, right?

For the season, Tennessee ranks 25th in yards per game (388.9), 18th in points (25.9), 15th in yards per play (5.7), 31st in sacks (12) and 27th in passing yards (267.4). What more needs to be said? The Titans, in every sense of the word, have a second-rate defense that is vulnerable at all three levels.

This isn’t even a debate, folks: the Colts are a better football team than Tennessee. Don’t let the fact that they have the same record distract you from coming to terms with that realization.

Colts: It’s time to give Frank Reich his contract extension

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich has proven that over his three-year tenure that he's worthy of a contract extension.