The four-week gauntlet continues for Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts into Thursday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans.
Arguably in their toughest stretch of the season, the Colts will look to get back in the “W’ column in a short week after losing 24-10 to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. You don’t want to call this a must win. But in a matter of days, Indianapolis could see their record drop from 5-2 to 5-4.
And they have to deal with a Titans offense that features Derrick Henry, the number two rusher in the NFL. When the Colts spent their first round pick to acquire DeForest Buckner and bolster the defensive line, these were the kinds of situations they did it for.
Business needs to be taken care of in Nashville. To help preview the Colts latest opponent, former Indiana State coach and current Titans analyst Dave McGinnis called into The Ride with JMV.
“Head coach Mike Vrabel is really good at what he does,” McGinnis said. “He’s got the pulse of his team as both players and people. But this is Ryan Tannehill’s football team. He is the alpha leader.”
Indianapolis must have their leader Philip Rivers get back to where he was against Cincinnati and Detroit. Facing a better Baltimore team gave him some trouble, but with a rush unit that is struggling, Rivers needs to be on his game.
Rivers and Tannehill are separated by just 100 or so pass yards in their respective totals so far this season. Both QB’s know round one between the two clubs on Thursday is crucial.
“I coached in this league for 31 years and every time I’ve gone up against Rivers as a defensive coach I’ve had much respect for him,” McGinnis added. “Anytime you play Rivers you better be ready for 60 minutes because he’s going to compete from start to finish.”
With a win, the Colts can climb back to a tie for first place in the AFC South. Then depending on what happens in Week 11 versus Green Bay, the Blue and White could then put themselves in a position to lead the division by themselves when they see Tennessee again in Week 12.
It’s one step at a time to get back to the top.
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