Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross (20) dives after Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (2) on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Three Weakness Titans Could Exploit vs Colts

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Luke Hubbard | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Tennessee Titans face their first divisional opponent of the season in Week 3 when they host the Indianapolis Colts. These two teams couldn't have had opposite starts; the Titans are 0-2 and desperately need a win, and the Colts are 2-0 after knocking off the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 and the Denver Broncos in Week 2.

The Colts haven't shown a ton of weaknesses thus far, but there are a few areas that, if the Titans exploit them, it should give them a good shot at winning this game.

Run Defense

One area the Titans can attack the Colts is in the run game. Through two weeks, the Colts are allowing just 98 rushing yards per game, which ranks 12th in the league, but they're giving up 5.4 yards per carry, which is 29th in the NFL.

The Colts' rushing defense numbers are inflated by the fact that their opponents are running the ball just 18 times per game, which is the lowest in the league. This is heavily due to the Dolphins, who fell behind 20-0 early in Week 1 and ran the ball just 12 times. In Week 2, Denver ran the ball 24 times for 118 yards (4.9 average). There will be opportunities in the run game this week, Tony Pollard and the Titans' offensive line just need to take advantage.

Third Downs

Another area where the Titans can really hurt the Colts is on third downs. Despite giving up just over 15 points per game, the Colts' defense has struggled to get off the field on third downs. Their opponents are converting on third downs 47.4% of the time, which is 24th in the league. Even the Dolphins, who scored just three points in Week 1, converted on five of their 10 third downs.

The only problem is that the Titans rank 31st in the league in third down conversion percentage. They're converting 27.6% of the time and are constantly behind the sticks. They need to be successful on first and second down to set them up in short-yardage situations, because if they do, they'll have opportunities to pick up third downs and keep their drives alive.

Daniel Jones

Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones has looked really good to start the season. Through two games, he's thrown for 588 yards and two touchdowns. Shane Steichen has done a great job calling plays for him and making him feel comfortable, but at some point, he's going to start making mistakes.

The Titans' defense has been pretty solid through two games. They held the Broncos to just 20 points in Week 1, and played well for three quarters against the Rams last week before it all fell apart late. If their secondary can continue to play well and their pass rush can put pressure on Jones, they could force him into a couple of mistakes, which could change the outcome of this game.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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