Tell me where you’ve heard this before: After jumping out to a sizeable lead in the first half, the Tennessee Titans had to hang on for dear life in the second half in order to top the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, 24-17.
Why did the Titans have to hang on for dear life? Their offense once again did nothing in the final two quarters, something we’ve seen in every game this season.
After taking a 24-10 lead in the first half, the Titans were shutout in the second, forcing the defense to come up big — and the unit did just that despite some ugly moments.
With the Colts driving late in the fourth quarter to try and tie it, Denico Autry came up with a huge sack to force the Colts into a field goal, which they missed.
The Titans got the ball back, moved the chains and ran out the clock to secure the victory. Here’s a look at everything we know from Week 4.
Final score: Titans 24, Colts 17
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| TEN | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| IND | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
It was over when...
With a third-and-4 on their final offensive series, quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed a pass to Chigoziem Okonkwo for a first down, allowing Tennessee to kneel it home.
Injuries
-OL Bud Dupree (hip): Dupree was questionable but did not return. Dupree missed the Week 3 game with a hip injury, also.
-WR Treylon Burks (foot): Burks was carted to the locker room in the fourth quarter and did not return.
Titans' top performers
-RB Derrick Henry: 22 carries, 114 yards, TD; 3 catches, 33 yards
-DL Teair Tart: 3 tackles, 2 PD, INT
-DL Denico Autry: 2 tackles (1 for loss) 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 QB hits
Instant analysis: Offense and special teams
-The Titans came out firing in the first half, dropping 24 points in the first two quarters for the second straight week. Everything was working on the ground and through the air. However, for the third straight week, Tennessee failed to score points in the second half.
-Tennessee’s ability to run the football was impressive against one of the best run defenses in the NFL, as Derrick Henry was routinely gashing Indy’s unit, finishing with his first 100-yard game of the 2022 campaign. Henry was also involved in the passing game, catching three passes for 33 yards. He was Tennessee’s No. 2 receiver in terms of yards.
-Quarterback Ryan Tannehill went from 2019 and 2020 Tannehill in the first half to 2021 Tannehill in the second half. The pass protection wasn’t as good in the final two quarters, and Tannehill’s level of play itself wasn’t, either. Something has to give with this team in the second half.
-Overall, the offensive line was respectable. Tannehill was sacked three times but had time to throw for the most part, and we already mentioned Henry having room to run in the first half.
-The connection between Robert Woods and Tannehill continues to grow, as the veterans connected for their first touchdown of 2022. Chig Okonkwo had his coming out party. Granted, he didn’t post huge numbers but he reeled in a career-high three catches for 38 yards, including his first career touchdown and a 23-yard grab that helped setup another.
-Rookie wideout Treylon Burks suffered a foot injury in the fourth quarter. With the Titans in the hurry-up, Burks wasn’t able to get off the field after suffering the injury. On the next play, he fell to the ground and had to be helped off. He was later carted to the locker room and ruled out.
-The Titans have now been outscored by opponents 64-7 in the second half of games this season, and Tennessee hasn’t scored a single second-half point since Week 1. Gross.
-Ryan Stonehouse is a damn machine. He averaged 52.8 yards per punt and notched three attempts north of 50 yards.
-Hassan Haskins had another solid day in the kick-return game, averaging 26.3 yards per return over four attempts, including a long of 37.
Instant analysis: Defense
-Terrance Mitchell got the nod over Caleb Farley again to start the game, while Andrew Adams started at safety for the injured Amani Hooker. Farley did see playing time as the game progressed, though, but had some ugly moments, as did Mitchell.
-There really wasn’t a ton to like about the secondary as a whole. The coverage was shoddy all around and big plays were plentiful, with five different Colts pass-catchers notching receptions of 20 yards or more.
-Tackling was another issue for the secondary, with Farley, Fulton and McCreary all being culprits. That said, McCreary did make some good plays in coverage and as a tackler, while Farley left a lot to be desired once again.
-The defensive front came up huge and got great push throughout. The unit held the so-called best running back in the NFL to just 42 yards (2.1 yards per carry), rendering him irrelevant for much of the game.
-The pass-rush, led by Denico Autry who had a team-high two sacks, tallied three sacks in total. Autry forced a fumble from quarterback Matt Ryan after notching his first sack, and the Titans turned that into points. Rashad Weaver also added a sack, his team-leading fourth of the campaign, and he forced a late fumble on Taylor that thwarted a potential scoring drive to tie the game.
-In all, the Titans forced three turnovers, with the third coming on an outstanding play by Teair Tart, who batted a pass up in the air and had the wherewithal to recover and nab the interception.
-Making the defense’s performance even more impressive is the fact that it didn’t have Bud Dupree for almost all of the game after he exited early with an injury.
-The Colts had much more success on third downs against the Titans’ defense than the Raiders did last week, with Indy converting on 7-of-13 third downs. Indy also converted two of their three red-zone trips.
What's next?
With the win and a Jaguars loss to the Eagles, the Titans are now tied atop the division with a 2-2 record. Tennessee will have another road contest in Week 5 against the Washington Commanders, who fell to 1-3 after losing to the Cowboys in Week 4.
