Titans aim to end long losing streak against the Colts
Titans aim to end long losing streak vs. Colts
NASHVILLE — No matter the coaches, the players or the location, one thing remains unchanged when the Indianapolis Colts take on the Tennessee Titans.
The Colts win.
Even in Peyton Manning’s final season with the Colts (2011), when he was sidelined by injury, they found a way to start an impressive streak against their AFC South rivals. Indianapolis has won 11 straight and 16 of the past 17 against the Titans, a stranglehold tied with Denver’s string over Cleveland for the NFL’s longest streak against one team, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Colts coach Chuck Pagano will try to extend his franchise’s mastery over Tennessee when the rivals meet tonight, but he insists history means nothing.
“Pay no attention to that stuff — it has really no relevance on this game,” Pagano said.
The Colts (2-3), who are trying to climb out of the division cellar, have three-point victories this season against Cleveland and San Francisco. Both of those teams dropped to 0-6 on Sunday, and Indianapolis needed overtime to edge the 49ers the weekend before.
The Titans (2-3), who have lost two straight, are coming off a 16-10 loss at Miami. And now only Marcus Mariota’s left hamstring can save them from adding yet another backup’s name to the list of Titans quarterbacks trying their hand against the Colts.
Mariota was not active for the game at Miami and is questionable for tonight’s matchup. How much the third-year pro can move around will determine whether Matt Cassel gets a second straight start, and if there’s any doubt of Mariota’s health, Titans coach Mike Mularkey plans to err on the side of keeping his franchise quarterback available for the final 10 games of the season.
“That’s the biggest concern, because of all the football that’s left,” Mularkey said. “We want to be smart.”
The Titans are playing a Monday night game for the first time since Mariota was drafted No. 2 overall out of Oregon two years ago, and the Hawaii native is eager to play and take a shot at ending the rivalry skid.
“Obviously, you hear about it, but all we can do is control what we do in practice every single day, focus on getting better, focus on how we can build that chemistry to be a successful team,” Mariota said. “When Monday rolls around, you just go out there and compete and hopefully get a win.”
Inquiries about Mariota’s health and the losing streak are the questions that came up most often for Mularkey this past week.
“We all have had our pieces of it,” Mularkey said. “We’re aware of it. Those things come to an end at some point, that’s a fact.”
Cassel has three turnovers this season, two of which have been returned for touchdowns, and he has been sacked eight times compared to only two for the more mobile Mariota.
If Cassel starts, he’ll join a lengthy list of Titans quarterbacks to play in this series since Oct. 30, 2011, when the Titans last beat Indianapolis. Dan Orlovsky started the current streak by going under center for Indianapolis on Dec. 18, 2011, the Colts’ first victory in a miserable season that allowed them the right to draft Luck in 2012. That loss also kept Tennessee out of the playoffs on a tiebreaker.
Since then, Luck has started nine of Indianapolis’ 10 wins in the streak, beating the likes of counterparts Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Charlie Whitehurst, Zach Mettenberger, Alex Tanney and now Mariota in three of the past four meetings. Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley even beat the Titans filling in for Luck at the end of the 2015 season.
Jacoby Brissett will start in Luck’s place tonight.
“I’m used to seeing Luck,” Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan said. “That’s who I’m used to seeing, and he’s been a thorn in our side since he’s gotten into the league.
“But (Brissett), he’s a guy who’s won two games for them. He’s able to make plays out of the pocket, that has a very strong arm. He’s a very capable quarterback and somebody that we’ve got to account for. We know he can play.”
Brissett has started the past four games since the Colts traded for him on Sept. 2, passing for 997 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also been sacked 14 times, and the Colts’ offensive line took another hit Saturday when right guard Jack Mewhort was placed on injured reserve.
“With those circumstances, he’s been an all-star,” Pagano said of Brisset. “He’s a tireless worker, he’s very smart, he’s got great leadership qualities, he’s built chemistry with the locker room and the players around him.
“He’s a talented guy, he’s big and he’s strong and he’s got arm talent, can make all the throws. We’ve been able to add a little bit with each week.”