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.
In Other News...
Titans Just Sent A Brutal Message About Their $66 Million Signing
The Titans secondary will look different again in Week 6, and not in the way anyone expected when Alontae Taylor arrived on a three-year, $66 million deal this offseason. Tennessee has made the cornerback inactive, turning a high-profile signing into a healthy scratch just five games into the season. It is a sharp move for a team still sorting out its defensive identity and a reminder that money alone does not guarantee a steady role.
With Taylor out, the Titans will lean on Cordale Flott, Joshua Williams, Jaylon Jones and Micah Robinson to handle the cornerback work in the upcoming game. For a defense trying to find the right mix on the back end, the decision leaves one of the offseasons biggest additions on the sideline and opens the door for others to seize snaps in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Just Pushed The Colts Into An Ugly New Debate
The Colts walked out of Nashville with more questions than answers after letting a 13-point halftime lead slip away in a 26-20 loss to the Titans, and the fallout has quickly turned inward. Shane Steichen was pressed about whether changes could be coming to his coaching staff, a natural line of inquiry after a game that featured turnovers, special teams mistakes and the loss of tight end Tyler Warren to injury, all while Indianapolis failed to close out a division road game it seemed to have under control.
Steichen said he is reviewing everything, but for now he remains satisfied with his staff and also confirmed Daniel Jones is still the starting quarterback. Even so, the loss has pushed the Colts into a familiar and uncomfortable debate about accountability and where the fixes need to start, with Tennessee's comeback serving as the latest reminder that close games can expose every weak spot at once. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Suddenly Face A Real Tony Pollard Deadline Decision
With injuries piling up and the roster continuing to shift, Seattles search for a veteran running back has started to spill into the trade market, and Tony Pollard is the name that jumps out as a fit. The Titans back is playing on an expiring contract, which naturally invites speculation this time of year, and one proposed framework sends Tennessee a 2027 fifth-round pick in return. It is the kind of low-cost, deadline-season idea that tends to surface when a contender is looking for help and a team with an aging or movable asset has to decide how aggressive it wants to be.
For Tennessee, the interesting part is not just whether Pollard would draw interest, but how much leverage the Titans actually have if they choose to listen. So far, there has been no indication they are eager to move him, and any serious conversation would have to account for that reality. If a deal is ever going to make sense, it would need to reflect more than Seattles need at the position. It would have to respect the Titans position as well, which is why this is suddenly looking less like a fringe rumor and more like a real deadline decision. [Read more 🡒]