3 reasons the Colts comeback attempt was unsuccessful against the Titans
1. Colts’ defense couldn’t stop Derrick Henry
Indianapolis entered Sunday with the third-best rushing defense, allowing just 77 yards a game in the ground. Derrick Henry entered Sunday without a 100-yard rushing game through three weeks. It would’ve made perfect sense for Indy’s stifling run defense to shut Henry down and show the Titans that they were no longer king of the AFC South. However, that didn’t happen, at all.
Derrick Henry had himself a field day against the Colts, and the defense that was so stout against the run in the first three weeks was nowhere to be found against Tennessee. Henry had 99 yards in the first half alone and ultimately finished the game with 22 carries for 114 yards and one touchdown. He also added three receptions for 33 yards.
Obviously, Indy’s defense did show up in the second half, shutting Tennessee out and limiting Henry to just 15 yards but the damage was already done. 24 points and 100 rushing yards in the first half was simply too much for Indy to overcome.
Sure, the offense put the Colts’ defense in some tough situations with the turnovers early but if Indy is going to be an elite defense, it has to step up to those challenges. When everything is going wrong, a team should be able to lean on what it does well. For the Colts, that’s stopping the run.
Unfortunately, even that went wrong on Sunday and as a result, Indianapolis lost another game. They’ll have to correct things and move on fast because they’ll be starting Week 5 against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football.
