The Tennessee Titans finally got their breakthrough Sunday, and they did it with a pair of special teams jolts that flipped the game on its head in Indianapolis.
A 58-yard punt return helped set up Tennessee’s first touchdown, a blocked punt was scooped and returned for another score, and Joey Slye drilled a 49-yard field goal with 2:03 left to lift the Titans past the Colts, 26-20. Tennessee, now 1-5, snapped a six-game skid in the series and did it after digging out of a 13-0 halftime hole.
It was a win built on grit more than rhythm. Cam Ward finished 11 of 22 for 102 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Tony Pollard carried 19 times for 76 yards.
Rookie Carnell Tate gave the Titans a spark with six catches for 70 yards and his first TD reception. Tennessee’s defense did plenty of heavy lifting too, finishing with six sacks and three takeaways.
Indianapolis (2-4) looked in control early, piling up a 232-64 advantage in total yards in the first half. But all that movement produced only three scoring drives, and twice the Colts had to settle for field goals.
Daniel Jones went 22 of 42 for 269 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, both of them turning away chances for more points. Jonathan Taylor rushed 21 times for 94 yards and a score, added two catches for 57 yards, and Keenan Allen made eight grabs for 82 yards.
The comeback started immediately after halftime when Jeffery Simmons forced Taylor to fumble on the first play of the third quarter. That set up a 29-yard field goal, and Slye added a 56-yarder with 3:21 left in the third to keep the Titans moving.
Then came the defining burst.
Chimere Dike’s long punt return early in the fourth quarter put Tennessee in position for Ward’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Tate, tying the game at 13 with 13 minutes left. After the Colts’ next possession ended in a punt, James Williams Sr. got through to block Rigoberto Sanchez’s kick, and Oluwafemi Oladejo picked it up and returned it 14 yards for a 20-13 Tennessee lead.
Indianapolis answered when Taylor scored on a 4-yard run with 5:32 remaining to tie it again. But a 36-yard pass interference penalty on Colts cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt moved Tennessee into range, and Slye converted a 44-yard field goal with 43 seconds left after the Colts turned it over on downs.
Jones had one final shot, but neither of his desperation throws found a target as time expired.
Tennessee will try to win its first home game next Sunday against Cleveland. Indianapolis begins a two-game road trip next Sunday at Minnesota.
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