Blocked Punt, Four Slye Field Goals: Titans Stun Colts 26-20 for First Win
Down 13-0 at halftime, Tennessee scored 20 unanswered points behind its defense and special teams to hand Robert Saleh his first win as Titans head coach.
For five weeks the Titans had been the NFL's resident hard-luck story. On Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium they finally flipped one — and they did it almost entirely without their offense. Tennessee beat the Colts 26-20, erasing a 13-0 halftime deficit with takeaways, a punt block and a perfect day from kicker Joey Slye, who went 4-for-4 from 29, 56, 49 and 44 yards.
A half of nothing, then the flip
The first half belonged to Indianapolis. Daniel Jones hit Mo Alie-Cox for a 1-yard touchdown and Spencer Shrader added field goals of 23 and 47 yards, the second set up by a Cam Ward interception. Tennessee managed just three first downs and 64 yards before the break.
The swing came immediately after halftime. Jeffery Simmons — who finished with two of Tennessee's six sacks — forced and recovered a Jonathan Taylor fumble on the first play of the third quarter, leading to Slye's first field goal. A Cor'Dale Flott interception set up Slye's 56-yarder, and the comeback was on.
Special teams win it
In the fourth quarter, Chimere Dike ripped off a 58-yard punt return to set up Ward's 8-yard touchdown to rookie Carnell Tate, tying it at 13. Then came the game's defining play: Tennessee blocked a Rigoberto Sanchez punt and Femi Oladejo returned it 14 yards for a touchdown and a 20-13 lead. Taylor answered with a 4-yard scoring run, but Slye's last two field goals — the 49-yarder with 2:03 left and a 44-yarder to close it — settled things, per the team's recap.
What it means
Tennessee is 1-5, and the manner of the win matters: it was Saleh's first as Titans head coach and, per the club, the franchise's 500th victory. Ward's line (11-of-22, 102 yards) says the offense remains a work in progress, but the defense forced three turnovers against one giveaway. For Indianapolis, now 2-4 per CBS Sports, the alarm is louder: Jones threw two interceptions, the Colts lost at home to a winless team, and the injury list grew: Sauce Gardner left with a calf injury and returner Anthony Gould entered concussion protocol and did not return.