Story by Jim Wyatt – TitansOnline.com
The Titans exploded for two touchdowns in the closing minutes to pull out a massive 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The rally started with huge play on special teams, which changed the game.
Titans defensive back Tye Smith scooped up a field goal blocked Dane Cruikshank and returned it for a touchdown, which gave the Titans a 24-17 lead with 5:02 left.
Then, after an interception by cornerback Logan Ryan, the Titans scored again, this time on a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill to receiver Kalif Raymond, which made it 31-17.
The Titans improved to 7-5 with the win, and the team has now won five of its last six games.
The Colts jumped out to a 17-7 lead early in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Nyheim Hines.
But the Titans answered back with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capping it off with a 13-yard touchdown run by running back Derrick Henry on a fourth-down play.
On the Colts next possession, Titans linebacker Harold Landry forced Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett into a bad throw, and Titans safety Kevin Byard intercepted the pass and returned it to the Indianapolis 14-yard line.
The Titans cashed the turnover in for three points, as kicker Ryan Succop’s 31-yard field goal tied the game at 17-17 with 4:26 left in the third quarter.
It was a shaky start for the Titans, who lost two fumbles in the first quarter and trailed 10-7 at halftime.
After Henry fumbled on the team’s first offensive possession, the Colts quickly cashed it on for a 7-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Brissett to tight end Jack Doyle.
The Titans answered back with a 75-yard scoring drive, converting three third downs along the way, including one to Adam Humphries that went for a 13-yard touchdown to time the game at 7-7.
Tannehill lost a fumble while being sacked, but Titans defensive lineman Austin Johnson blocked a long field goal try by Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who missed another long try minutes earlier. A 28-yard field goal by Vinatieri gave the Colts a 10-7 lead with 6:07 left in the second quarter, and that remained the score at halftime.
The Titans face the Raiders next Sunday in Oakland.
