The Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts will meet in Week 4 for the first of two games between these two teams in 2022, with the Colts having the honor of playing host first.
Both teams have had a rough start to the season but did manage to secure their first victories of 2022 in Week 3.
The Titans dropped their Week 1 game against the perennially-bad New York Giants, and then were blown to smithereens by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, 41-7. Tennessee snapped its skid on Sunday with a win over the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Colts came away winless after games against the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars to start the season, tying the former and getting shut out by the latter.
However, Indy stepped up big time in Week 3, upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ahead of Sunday’s incredibly important divisional matchup between the Titans and Colts, here’s a look at six things to know.
Colts are favored
According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Colts (-180) are 3.5-point favorites over the Titans (+155), with the over/under set at 42.5.
Both teams are 1-2 against the spread in 2022, but the Titans have hit the over in two of their three games, while the Colts have yet to hit the over.
Potential battle for first place
The Titans and Colts will do battle in Week 4 in a matchup that could play a huge role in determining the AFC South down the road. Both teams entered 2022 as the favorites to finish first and second in the division, but it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars who own the top spot after three games.
However, that would change after this week if the Jags lose a tough road matchup to the Philadelphia Eagles.
An Indy victory with a Jags loss would put the Colts in first place alone, while a Titans win would give them a share of first place. Should the Jags win that game, it would signal a three-horse race for the AFC South crown.
A major role reversal
The Colts have historically dominated the Titans, with Indy owning an all-time record of 35-19. In fact, from 2008 through 2019, the Colts were an astounding 19-5 against the Titans.
However, Tennessee has flipped the script in recent years. Since 2020, the Titans have won four of five against Indy, including each of the last three – and that’s something that greatly bothers Colts owner Jim Irsay.
“They kick our a** and they have been kicking our a**,’’ Irsay said earlier this year. “We’ve got to get past that. I don’t hide from the facts that are out there competitively. I want to put them right in front of us . . . you have to know where your nemeses lie.
“It’s just completely unacceptable the way they’ve dominated the division over us. It just is. And I give [head coach Mike] Vrabel a ton of credit. He’s done a great job. He’s a tough guy. We have to prove we can beat them and beat them when it most matters and consistently beat them.’’
A pair of the NFL's best RBs
Titans running back Derrick Henry almost universally wore the crown as the best player at his position in the NFL after winning back-to-back rushing titles in 2019 and 2020, while also posting a 2,000-yard season in the latter.
However, an injury to Henry’s foot that sidelined him for half the 2021 season paved the way for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor to win a rushing crown and be considered the best in the league.
The team that can move the ball on the ground best will likely win this game, as both teams have struggled to move the ball through the air through the first three weeks.
On paper, Henry will have a tougher hill to climb than Taylor, as the Colts are ranked third against the run while the Titans rank 29th. Whoever posts better numbers will have the bragging rights after Week 4.
Potential returns of key defensive players
The Titans look set to get outside linebacker Bud Dupree back for this game. The veteran, who exited the Week 2 contest against the Buffalo Bills with a hip injury before being ruled out in Week 3, practiced in full on Wednesday.
On the other sideline, the Colts are hoping to finally get the linebacker formerly known as Darius, Shaquille Leonard, back.
Leonard has missed the first three games of the season after undergoing back surgery during the offseason, but he has practiced in full for each of the last two weeks and was a full participant once again on Wednesday.
As we’ve seen the last two weeks, full practices don’t mean Leonard will play but we’ll venture to guess he has a very good chance of suiting up this week.
Titans' success on the road against divisional opponents
Not only have the Titans enjoyed success against the AFC South in recent years, they’ve been very good against their rivals on the road.
The Titans currently own an eight-game winning streak as the road team against AFC South opponents, the longest such streak in franchise history.
The only team in the NFL with a longer active streak is the Kansas City Chiefs, who sit at 13. If Tennessee can win on Sunday, it’ll become the fifth team since 1997 to have a streak of at least nine games.
The all-time record is 15 consecutive wins by the Denver Broncos from 2011 to 2015.
