INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Luck went 11-0 against the Tennessee Titans.
The Indianapolis Colts are 2-4 in the rivalry since the quarterback’s sudden retirement and have lost three straight at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Titans scored an average of 36.7 points in those contests and won by an average of 12 points.
It’s a trend that’s received far less attention than the Week 1 woes or Jacksonville’s losing streak, but it’s almost as disconcerting and has cost the franchise dearly.
Tennessee is the two-time defending AFC South champion and has won four of the last five meetings in the series. And Colts owner Jim Irsay has been unequivocal in his desire to see the tide reversed.
“To get where you want to go, you have to beat some of the best teams in the league, and they were the No. 1 seed in the AFC last year and won the division the last two years,” Indianapolis quarterback Matt Ryan said “I think Jim was very clear at the start of the year about what he expects from all of us.”
Irsay’s comments to the team at the start of training camp in July are largely private. But he told the media weeks later that he believed this season could be the start of a new golden era for the Colts and that it was time to start winning championships again.
Indianapolis hasn’t finished first in the AFC South since 2014, and it hasn’t won a postseason game since 2018. Those are two of the key streaks the team hopes to complete this year.
Each of those goals will be much harder to achieve without a win over the Titans on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We’re very amplified,” Colts running back Jonathan Taylor said. “Any time we have someone come to Lucas Oil, it’s a big day. It’s a chance for us to put on a show, to compete in front of all the local supporters. … It’s a divisive game, so everyone’s super cooped up.
“We know these are always tough matchups. We see each other twice a year, so we have to make sure we’re ready for whatever they throw at us.
Neither team got the start they were hoping for.
Indianapolis (1-1-1) is winless in two divisional games — tying Houston in the season opener and shut out at Jacksonville in Week 2 — and can’t afford to go a full cycle through the AFC South winless.
Tennessee (1-2) lost a heartbreaking home opener to the New York Giants on a missed field goal in the final seconds and was strangled on the road at Buffalo in Week 2.
The Titans earned their first home win last week against the Las Vegas Raiders as the Colts pulled off a thriller against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Whichever team is able to build on their momentum on Sunday, they can join the Jaguars as early division leaders and refocus on the high expectations they had at the start of the season. The loser will again find themselves digging a hole of their own creation.
Success for the Colts means finding a way to resolve their difficulties by defending their home turf against their rivals.
“It’s a physical team,” Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich said. “You always expect that when you play them. It starts at the front. He starts in front on both sides of the ball, running the ball, stopping the run. I just think in our day and age – we’re in a passing league, but we’re playing this game against these guys and a lot of it comes down to running and stopping the run.
“So it’s being physical but also executing. We respect that. We respect their physicality. So we have to match that.
Both teams struggled to establish their favorite bully credentials.
The Colts gave up 12 sacks in the first three weeks and averaged just 3 yards per carry last week against the Chiefs.
Tennessee gives up a league-worst 5.8 yards per rushing attempt and enters the week with the NFL’s 20th rushing game on offense.
Indianapolis showed its ability to overcome early game difficulties in a small sample. He erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit in the tie against the Texans and overcame five sacks, a lost fumble and two failed conversions in the fourth quarter last week against the Chiefs.
In short, the Colts have been good in the clutch. The challenge now is to bring that performance consistently for a full 60 minutes.
“We have a good group of guys who have that kind of mindset, that no matter how things go, you’re going to keep competing,” Ryan said. “You have to do it in this league. I mean, it’s gonna be tough. But we also put ourselves in those situations, so it’s the balance between the two. It’s understanding that, even if it’s difficult, we can find a way.
“But part of the reason it has been difficult is our own fault. There will be times when we move forward as a team where it may not be our fault, but we have to be tough and resilient in those situations. But we have to clean up our own stuff in the first three quarters of games.
