After watching the Tennessee Titans squander a late lead in Sunday’s 19-13 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts, an incredulous Matt Hasselbeck said he felt stunned, almost shocked that his team was unable to come away with a victory.
The loss is stinging. It drops the Titans to 3-5 and three and a half games behind the Texans for first place in the AFC South. Of the Titans' five defeats, four have come to AFC opponents. Tennessee also dropped to 0-2 in the division. In a tight AFC Wild Card race, the Titans' inability to put away the Colts could have tiebreaker implications later in the season. As it is, the young, inexperienced Colts are 1 1/2 games ahead of Tennessee.
The Titans have two more games before the bye and need to win both if they have any hope of making the playoffs. They return home next week to face a stifling Bears’ defense, led by Julius Peppers.
Offense: C
Hasselbeck has a right to be frustrated after the offense produced just 13 points. He orchestrated thee time consuming drives of 10 plays or more, but could only lead his team to one touchdown. The Titans were beset by three offensive pass interference penalties and miscues at inopportune times. Hasselbeck overshot TE Jared Cook on Tennessee’s final offensive possession on a potential game-winning touchdown. He was also unable to find a wide open Kendall Wright in the end zone earlier in the fourth quarter. Wright had a spectacular 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter. RB Chris Johnson had a solid afternoon with 99 yards on 21 carries. Previous game's grade: A
Defense: B-
In many ways, the Titans had their best defensive performance of the season in spite of the loss. At the four minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Titans had allowed only six points. Still, the defense allowed two touchdowns in the Colts final three drives and couldn’t stop Andrew Luck on several critical third downs. The Titans’ wide alignment on the defensive line in overtime provided lanes for Colts RB Donald Brown to exploit. LB Colin McCarthy and CB Alterraun Verner had stellar efforts with 20 tackles and 5 TFLs combined. Previous game's grade: C+
Special teams: C
On a windy day, K Rob Bironas placed a key 45-yard field goal attempt wide right in the third quarter. Bironas’ miss is evened out by an impressive play by Michael Griffin to end the half. The Pro Bowl safety found an opening in the Colts’ blocking scheme and dove to block a kick by Adam Vinatieri. P Brett Kern’s 43.3 average was hurt by a 34-yard punt that went off the side of his foot. The Titans had just one kick return for seven yards. Previous game's grade: D
Coaching: C+
Coach Mike Munchak can’t be faulted for punting late in the game on the Colts’ 41 yard line. If the Titans failed to convert on a 4th-and-9 or missed a 58-yard field goals, the Colts would have received ideal field position for a game-winning score. Colts WR Reggie Wayne had seven catches for 91 yards, but DC Jerry Gray found ways to contain him for most of the game. With a patchwork offensive line, OC Chris Palmer had to employ a plethora of three-step drops for Hasselbeck. The offense moved the ball effectively, it was just unable to convert in the red zone. Previous game's grade: B+
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