The 9-6 Indianapolis Colts will travel to Tennessee to take on the 9-6 Titans in the seasons last Sunday night game of the week. This is a must win game for both teams as the loser will be eliminated and depending on the results of other games, the winner will either win the division or represent the Wild Card. Both teams extended win streaks last week to keep their hopes alive. The Colts won their third in a row with a 28-27 road victory over the New York Giants. They trailed by 10 at halftime but a touchdown in the final minute secured the win. The Titans won their fourth in a row with a 25-16 home win over the Washington Redskins. They trailed by 13-9 entering the fourth quarter but scored 15 points to earn the victory.
Andrew Luck finished with a passer rating of 94 against the Giants as he completed 31 of 47 passes for 357 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. His favorite target was T.Y. Hilton who had 7 catches for 138 yards. Luck is second in the league with 36 touchdown passes this year and Hilton ranks 12th with 1,209 receiving yards. They only ran the ball 16 times for 49 yards but did have 2 rushing touchdowns. Defensively, they intercepted Eli Manning once and had 7.5 tackles for losses. They held the Giants to 83 rushing yards on 29 carries, which is an average of 2.9 yards per run. Six different Giants receivers had receptions that gained at least 10 yards. For the year, the Colts defense has allowed their opponents to average 21.8 points and 360 yards per game.
Marcus Mariota suffered a nerve injury in the first half against the Redskins and he has not yet been cleared to play against the Colts. He was replaced by Blaine Gabbert who played well. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 101 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. Taywan Taylor led the team with 3 catches for 64 yards. Derek Henry led the team in rushing with 84 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Defensively, the intercepted Josh Johnson twice and had 2 sacks. They struggled against the run as the Redskins gained 161 yards on 34 carries which is an average of 4.7 yards per rush. On the season, the Titans defense has allowed their opponents to average 18 points and 342.6 yards per game.
The Titans will have home field advantage and are 3 point underdogs. They have gone 8-7 against the spread including 4-3 at home. Indianapolis has gone 7-7-1 against the spread including 4-3 on the road. Both teams have been playing great the last couple of weeks but the injury to Mariota could be a big loss for the Titans as Gabbert hasn’t played much this season. He has appeared in just 5 games and has thrown for 461 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Andrew Luck is 10-0 in his career against the Titans.
