The past few years, the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans were a fierce rivalry. Both teams were usually atop the AFC South, and the games were typically very close and physical. However, things have changed a bit lately. The games are still physical, but they don’t carry the same stakes as they once did.
As both team’s prepare to meet in Week 13, the Colts are 6-5 and second in the AFC South, while the Titans are 4-7 and last in the AFC South. But, that doesn’t mean that these two squads aren’t motivated to face off against each other, especially after the last game between the two.
Tennessee linebacker Arden Key recently told the media that the Titans are motivated for this Week 13 matchup with Indianapolis. According to Key, the Titans feel like the Colts beat them up when they played in Week 5. For that reason, Tennessee “owes” Indy.
Arden Key has bad memories of the #Titans’ loss at the #Colts. “We owe them.” pic.twitter.com/H6iRKwfZH0
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 27, 2023
Titans are looking for revenge against the Colts in Week 13
Key made sure to mention that Indianapolis ran the ball on them in the first meeting, and Tennessee is preparing for Indianapolis to try to run the ball against them again on Sunday. Key is absolutely right. In Week 5, the Colts ran the ball 34 times for 193 yards and two touchdowns enroute to a 23-16 victory.
Unfortunately for Indy, the team’s rushing attack recently took a hit with Jonathan Taylor undergoing thumb surgery. Taylor will be sidelined for atleast a couple of games, including Sunday’s meeting in Tennessee. Coincidentally, the Week 5 game against the Titans was Taylor’s first game of the year after coming off the PUP list.
As fans might remember, that game ended up becoming all about Zack Moss. It was Moss who did the bulk of the damage on the ground, carrying the ball 23 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll return to RB1 status with Taylor out and will try to have similar successes against the Titans.
On the year, Tennessee is allowing 110.8 rushing yards per game, which is 15th in the league. Indy has the most rushing yards against the Titans in a single game this season, but in the six games since that Week 5 matchup, opposing teams have rushed for more than 125 yards four times against Tennessee. It’s unclear how exactly Key and the Titans defense plan for things to look differently against the Colts on Sunday.