The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) will be at home again in Week 5 as they prepare to host the Tennessee Titans (2-2) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
This is the first meeting between these two teams this season, and they’ll face off again in Week 13 in Nashville. While this is the third divisional game for the Colts, this marks the first time the Titans have played another AFC South team this season.
Buy Colts TicketsHere are six things to know entering the Week 5 matchup between the Colts and Titans:
1
Breaking the streak
While the Colts are 35-21 against the Titans in terms of all-time record, the recent history hasn’t been so kind. The Colts haven’t beaten the Titans since Week 10 of the 2020 season. They also haven’t beaten the Titans at home since Week 11 of the 2018 season. Having dropped five of the last six meetings with the Titans, the Colts certainly need to prove that this new direction and regime can buck the trend of being physically dominated by the Titans.
2
Searching for first home win
The Colts have not won a home game since Week 6 of the 2022 season. Of course, that’s a bit of a loaded stat considering the team now compared to last year’s team is an entirely different group. But the Colts still are searching for their first home win of this young season. They’ve been road warriors so far, defeating the Houston Texans in Week 2 and Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. Then, they dropped the other two games at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 and Los Angeles Rams in Week 4. Can they finally secure that first home win of the season?
3
Titans offense struggling
Because of Derrick Henry, the Titans offense is always a threat to control the line of scrimmage. However, this is a unit that has struggled when Henry isn’t dominating. This is especially true in the passing game where Tennessee ranks 28th in passing yards per game (280), 28th in interception rate (3.7%), 30th in sacks per pass attempt (14.7) and 28th in first downs per game (16.8). They also rank 29th in red zone percentage (38.5%) and 23 in points per game (18.0). Stopping Henry should be the first, second and third priority for the Colts defense.
4
Return of Jonathan Taylor?
The biggest storyline surrounding the Colts this week is the potential return of their star running back. The Colts opened the 21-day practice window for Taylor on Wednesday and even though they held a walkthrough, he was listed as an estimated full participant. Head coach Shane Steichen said they aren’t ruling Taylor out if he’s physically ready to go so there’s a chance we see the 2021 rushing champ make his season debut.
5
Red zone battle
One of the interesting matchups on Sunday will be in the red zone when the Colts are on offense. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Colts offense ranks third in red-zone percentage, scoring a touchdown on 72.7% of their trips inside the 20. Conversely, the Titans defense is tied for sixth-best, allowing a touchdown on just 41.7% of their trips inside the red zone. This aspect very well could be the determining factor in the outcome.
6
Replacing Dallis Flowers
The secondary in Indy faces even more question marks after one of its starters, Dallis Flowers, suffered a torn Achilles in overtime during the Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Rams. While rookie Julius Brents gets a bump up to an every-down starting role on the boundary, the Colts likely will lean on a platoon for the No. 3 cornerback spot between rookie Jaylon Jones and second-year undrafted free agent Darrell Baker Jr., who lost the No. 3 job earlier in the season.
