INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Tennessee Titans went from winless to party time in a jiffy Sunday.
And why not?
The defense shut down mistake-prone Indianapolis in the second half, the special teams made two game-changing plays in the fourth quarter and Joey Slye made two field goals in the final 2 1/2 minutes to rally the Colts from a 13-0 halftime deficit for their first win of the season, 26-20.
“Now this feels good!” running back Tony Pollard shouted as he left the field as the remaining Indianapolis fans serenaded the home team with a loud chorus of boos.
The victory snapped a six-game losing streak in the series, gave first-year coach Robert Saleh his first win with the franchise and allowed the Titans (1-5) to get out of the winless column in the standings.
The defense forced three turnovers and had six sacks, Chimere Dike's 58-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter set up the tying score and Oluwafemi Oladejo's 14-yard return of a blocked punt gave the Titans their first lead with 10:17 to play. Slye's 49-yard field goal with 2:03 left gave Tennessee the lead for good and he sealed it with a 44-yarder with 43 seconds to go after the Colts turned it over on downs.
To Saleh, the win was more of a relief than a celebration.
“When you watch NFL games and NFL tape, you see the spectacular,” Saleh said. “Was this perfect? No. But today we made some freaking plays. This league is hard.”
Cam Ward was 11 of 22 for 102 yards, with one TD and one interception as Tennessee finished with a season-high scoring total. Pollard rushed 19 times for 76 yards and rookie Carnell Tate had six catches for 70 yards and his first TD reception.
For Indy (2-4), it was another frustrating day.
The Colts dominated the first half with a 232-64 edge in total yards, but only produced three scoring drives, settling twice for field goals, and it proved costly. Daniel Jones was 22 of 42 for 269 yards with one TD and two more interceptions — both costing the Colts scoring chances. Jonathan Taylor ran 21 times for 94 yards and one TD while catching two passes for 57 yards.
“We've got a lot to fix, and we've got to fix it in a hurry,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said. “Turnovers continue to be an issue, we've got to handle that better. We can't give up blocked punts, we can't give up a kick return.”
Tennessee's rally began when Jeffery Simmons forced a Taylor fumble on the first play of the second half. That set up Slye's 29-yard field goal to make it 13-3. He added a 56-yarder with 3:21 left in the third to make it 13-6.
That's when the Titans special teams went to work.
Ward took advantage of the long punt return by connecting with Tate for an 8-yard score to tie it. Then after forcing a punt on Indy's next possession, James Williams Sr. broke free and blocked Rigoberto Sanchez's punt, which Oladejo scooped up and scored on for 20-13 lead.
Indy tied the score on Taylor's 4-yard run, but a 36-yard pass interference penalty on cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt helped the Titans move into position for Slye's go-ahead kick.
Jones got one last chance, but he couldn't connect on either desperation heave in the waning seconds.
Injuries
Titans: Safety Amani Hooker returned from a concussion and made an acrobatic interception to end Indy's first scoring chance. Safety Tony Adams and cornerback Marcus Harris left in the first half but each finished the game.
Colts: Punter Rigoberto Sanchez injured his foot on the blocked punt, All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner suffered a calf injury and kickoff returner Anthony Gould (concussion protocol) did not return. TE Tyler Warren was inactive after injuring his groin at the start of practice Friday.
Moving up
Titans: Simmons had two sacks, giving him 46 1/2 during his career with Tennessee. He passed Ted Washington for 10th in franchise history and ranks fourth in the Titans era (1999-present).
Colts: WR Keenan Allen had his best game of the season, catching eight passes for 82 yards while moving past Anquan Boldin (1,076) and Terrell Owens (1,078) on the NFL's career receptions list. He's now ninth with 1,081 catches over his 14-year career. Taylor scored his 83rd career TD, surpassing receivers coach Reggie Wayne for the third-most total TDs in Colts history and topped the 8,000-yard mark.
Still kickin’
Pro Football Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri was honored at halftime Sunday when the team inducted him as the 21st member of its Ring of Honor. Vinatieri won four Super Bowl rings — three with New England and one with Indy — and finished his career as the league’s career leader in scoring with 2,673 points.
Up next
Titans: Head home to face Cleveland next Sunday.
Colts: Begin a two-game road trip next Sunday at Minnesota.
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Michael Marot, The Associated Press