Week three of the NFL season finished with some key wins that helped shape a lot of key races in the league. The NFL treated us to an AFC South divisional matchup when the Colts packed their team up and went south to Nashville to face off with the Titans. Without over-reacting, this is a key divisional game mainly because the AFC South is eroding into the trash bag that is the NFC East. The Titans and Colts entered the 2021 season with confidence, hope, and a plan. The score of 16-25 appears close but the talent is far apart.
Sad to say, the Manning/Luck magic in America’s heartland is over. I am sorry Indianapolis Colts, your season is over!
We are starting to see a very worthy rivalry budding between the Titans and Colts. Off the cuff, you and any other rational fan would say Titans are a lock in this game. Not so fast. Did you know that the road team has won the last five games in this matchup?! Weird but true. This year, the football cognoscenti told us, “THE COLTS ARE BACK!” I mean, who doesn’t like Colts’ General Manager Chris Ballard’s drafting? Frank Reich at the helm also gives these guys a shot. But, the NFL relegated them to the kid’s table. When will the Colts get back to sitting at the grown-ups’ table? Not in 2021, that’s for sure.
This game was in the Colts’ reach as the Tennessee Titans forked over the ball three times. Ryan Tannehill went back to his Dolphins roots, playing catch with the opposition twice before half-time. The first half showed how the Colts had no answer for touchdowns from the scoring machines known as Chester Rogers and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Sit down King Henry and Julio, Vrabel has some options!
On the other side of the coin, there’s the Colts’ offense. Remember the offseason? When this team was shiny and new-ish? There was so much promise in this team. We have quickly learned the Colts offense turned out to be as reliable as a Fiat. This offense would be great if it weren’t in the shop every month.
Carson Wentz has the talent to be a great NFL quarterback, but he also has the durability of a paper airplane in a rainstorm. Frank Reich acknowledged putting the wobbly Wentz out there with neither ankle 100% was the best shot at winning against a tough opponent. He added, “You don’t lose too many games when you win turnovers 3-0.” Looks like someone just unlocked a new coaching milestone.
Outside the two first-half picks, the Colts’ defense was not a factor much of this game. Indy was not getting much pressure on Tannehill as they only tallied one sack and two knockdowns the entire game. Defensive ineptitude or simply midwestern hospitality? Your choice. Colts LB, Darius Leonard was in disbelief that the Titans didn’t take his Madden ranking more seriously. “It just feels like a bad dream, honestly.”
Indianapolis has a bleak reality. This is their time to get in contention while the division is weak. The AFC is too strong for them to think a wild card birth is a possibility. At this point, the Colts’ best bet is to duct tape Wentz to the goal post give him 75% of their snaps to ensure the first-round pick from the Eagles.
I am not sure who they’ll pick to be the quarterback next year, but I am confident that he’ll have cement in his cleats. The Colts definitely have a type.
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