Week 13 Game Recap: Indianapolis Colts 17, Tennessee Titans 20

What you need to know

Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning put up his usual solid numbers, and led the Colts on two scoring drives in the first half with 205 passing yards, 68 of which came when he connected with WR Marvin Harrison for a score. That score, along with a two yard score from RB Dominick Rhodes gave the Colts the lead at 14-10 going into half. Unfortunately for the Colts, the only score they could manage in the second half was a field goal, and the Titans took advantage.

Dominick Rhodes had six touches on the first drive and scored from two yards out in the second quarter, but Joseph Addai finished with the bulk of the work in the running game. Neither back was able to get much going on the ground, and their longest run in the game was just eight yards.

WR Marvin Harrison was excellent, and he scorched the Tennessee defense for 172 yards on seven catches, including the aforementioned 68 yard score. Reggie Wayne had a fairly quiet game, with 57 yards on three catches.

Tennessee Titans

Vince Young led the Titans on two first half scoring drives, one resulting in a Rob Bironas field goal and the other coming on a 20 yard scoring strike from Young to WR Drew Bennett. Tennessee went into half down 14-10.

Young and RB Travis Henry helped the Titans to their upset with strong rushing efforts in the second half. Young totaled 62 second half yards, and Henry 65, that helped the Titans control the clock and limit the scoring opportunities for the potent Colts’ offense. Along with his performance on the ground, Young also came up big in the passing game. He connected with WR Brandon Jones from nine yards out to give the Titans the lead, and led Tennessee on the game winning drive following a Colt field goal that tied the game up at 17.

Drew Bennett and Brandon Jones scored on passing plays for the Titans, but no Tennessee receiver put up big numbers as far as yardage goes. Adam “Pac Man” Jones was used for a few plays on offense, and made a nice play on a short pass play, turning it into a 17 yard gain. Jones made Indianapolis DB Bob Sanders completely whiff on a tackle attempt, turning it into a nice gain. He did leave the field early in the game on a cart after an apparent shin injury but returned and played well.

K Rob Bironas connected from 60 yards out in the closing seconds of the game to complete the upset, and the second straight comeback win for the Titans. The kick was the longest in franchise history.

What you ought to know

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 21 - 28 - 351 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0

Manning had another monster game, completing 21 of 28 passes for 351 yards and a 68 yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison. He also had a touchdown pass called back for offensive pass interference, and threw two interceptions. Manning and the Colts’ offense struggled a bit in the second half, as Tennessee controlled the clock with an efficient rush attack, and they were able to muster up only three second half points. Unfortunately for Manning and the Colts, they just ran out of time following the Bironas field goal.

RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 16 - 56 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets)

Addai split carries with Dominick Rhodes, but got the bulk of the work. He ran the ball 16 times for 56 yards, for a 3.5 ypc average. His long run for the game was only eight yards. Addai also caught a pass for an 11 yard gain that gave the Colts a first down.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 12 - 39 - 1, Rec: 5 - 29 - 0 (7 targets)

Rhodes ran the ball 12 times for 39 yards and a two yard touchdown, and was used in the passing game as well, finishing with five receptions for 29 yards on seven targets. He touched the ball on the first six plays from scrimmage for the Colts, but gave way to the rookie Addai later in the game.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 7 - 172 - 1 (9 targets)

Harrison had a huge game, catching seven passes for 172 yards, including a 68 yard touchdown reception. He was Manning’s most targeted receiver, with nine for the game, and he brought down five catches for Colts’ first downs. Harrison displayed his superb route running and incredible hands, showing why he is one of the best in the business.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 3 - 57 - 0 (4 targets)

Wayne was targeted just four times in the game, catching three balls for 57 yards. All three of his receptions resulted in Indianapolis first downs.

WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets)

Stokley returned to the lineup, but caught just one ball for eight yards on two targets.

TE Bryan Fletcher, Rec: 3 - 56 - 0 (4 targets)

Fletcher was targeted four times, catching three passes for 56 yards. All three of his catches resulted in Indianapolis first downs.

TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (2 targets)

Utecht caught one pass for 18 yards and was targeted twice for the game.

PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points

Vinatieri made good on a 20 yard field goal, but missed a 53 yard attempt right before half. He hit both of his extra point attempts to finish with five points.

IND Rush Defense

The Colts’ struggling rush defense was shredded by the Titans to the tune of 219 yards and 12 rushing first downs. The Titans averaged 6.3 yards per rush, and the success of both RB Travis Henry and QB Vince Young, especially in the second half, went a long way in keeping the Colts' explosive offense off of the field.

LB Cato June recorded nine solo tackles and one assist to lead the way for the Colts' defenders.

IND Pass Defense

The Indianapolis pass defense didn’t give up big yardage numbers, but they did give up two scores through the air, and failed to record a sack. They did get descent pressure on Young, but most of the time he was able to avoid the rush and turn it into positive gains.

DB’s Marlin Jackson and Jason Davis recorded interceptions for the Colts, and fellow DB Nick Harper netted five solo and two assisted tackles.

QB Vince Young, Pass: 15 - 25 - 163 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 9 - 78 - 0

Young was able to lead the Titans to a comeback victory for the second week in a row, and as you would expect from a quarterback, he played a huge role in the victory. His passing numbers weren’t great, throwing for 163 yards on 15 of 25 attempts, but his play in the red zone and the work he did on the ground resulted in a solid game. Young threw a first half touchdown to WR Drew Bennett, and led the Titans on two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. He hooked up with WR Brandon Jones from nine yards out and led a nine play, 33 yard drive late in the game that led to the Bironas game winning field goal. On the ground, Young ran nine times for 78 yards.

Young did seem to injure his foot late in the game, so owners should keep an eye out for any news regarding the injury this week.

RB Travis Henry, Rush: 20 - 93 - 0, Rec: 3 - 9 - 0 (3 targets)

Henry was solid running the ball for Tennessee, finishing with 20 rushes for 93 yards. He was also used sparingly in the passing game, catching three passes for nine yards. Henry ran the ball hard, and had a long run of 33 yards. He did fumble, but the ball was recovered by the Titans.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 4 - 35 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets)

White ran the ball four times for 35 yards, and caught one pass for a two yard gain on the only ball thrown his way. He broke a nice 26 yard run that helped inflate his ypc average.

RB Ahmad Hall, Rush: 2 - 13 - 0, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (4 targets)

Hall ran the ball twice for 13 yards, and also helped out in the passing game, catching three passes for 20 yards. He was targeted four times, and two of his receptions resulted in Tennessee first downs.

RB Chris Brown

Brown was inactive for the game.

WR Drew Bennett, Rec: 1 - 20 - 1 (1 targets)

Bennett caught the only ball thrown to him for a 20 yard touchdown reception. The play was reviewed, but was upheld and credited a touchdown.

WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (1 targets)

Wade caught one pass for 18 yards on the only ball thrown his way.

WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 1 - 9 - 1 (5 targets)

Jones was Young’s most targeted receiver, with five, and finished with one catch for a nine yard touchdown.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 2 - 31 - 0 (3 targets)

Scaife caught two balls for 31 yards and was targeted three times in the game.

TE Ben Troupe

Troupe did not play in the game and is out for the season with a broken ankle.

PK Rob Bironas 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points

Bironas connected from 25 yards out in the first half, and hit both of his extra point attempts. More importantly, he became the hero after knocking down a 60 yard field goal in the closing seconds of the game to complete the comeback. He finished with eight points for the game.

TEN Rush Defense

Tennessee gave up a rushing touchdown, but held the Colts to 100 yards on 29 attempts, for a 3.4 ypc average. They did a nice job in containing the Indianapolis backs, and limiting their big plays. The long run for the Colts for the game was just eight yards and they gave up just five rushing first downs.

LB David Thornton led the way defensively for the Titans with 11 solo and three assisted tackles, and LB Keith Bulluck chipped in eight tackles and four assists.

TEN Pass Defense

Peyton Manning had a big day against the young Titans’ secondary, throwing for 351 yards and a score (plus another score nullified for penalty). The Colts converted 14 first downs on passing plays and were seven of 12 on third down conversions. However, the Titans did hold the Colts to three second half points and came down with two interceptions.

DB Chris Hope recorded five solo and one assisted tackle for the Titans, and LB’s Keith Bulluck and Peter Sirmon each picked off Manning passes.