Derrick Henry rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown to help the Tennessee Titans produce a 24-17 victory over the host Indianapolis Colts in an AFC South battle on Sunday.
Ryan Tannehill completed 17 of 21 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns for Tennessee (2-2). Robert Woods and Chigoziem Okonkwo had scoring receptions and Kristian Fulton made a key fumble recovery.
Matt Ryan was 27-of-37 passing for 356 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Colts (1-2-1). Mo Alie-Cox caught two touchdown passes for Indianapolis.
Colts star Jonathan Taylor gained just 42 yards on 20 carries and lost the fumble in the fourth quarter that Fulton recovered.
Indianapolis linebacker Shaquille Leonard departed with a concussion sustained midway through the second quarter. He was making his season debut after offseason back surgery.
Indianapolis recovered from a 21-point second-quarter deficit and was driving toward a tying score in the fourth quarter.
But on third-and-1 from the Titans’ 24-yard line, Taylor received the handoff and Tennessee’s Joe Schobert forced him to fumble with Fulton recovering at the 22 with 8:40 left.
Later in the period, Indianapolis reached the Titans’ 22 before ending up with fourth-and-21. The Colts came up empty when Chase McLaughlin was wide left on a 51-yard field goal with 1:58 left and Tennessee ran out the clock.
The Titans scored the first two touchdowns while starting fast.
Denico Autry’s strip-sack of Ryan and Bud Dupree’s ensuing fumble recovery set up the first score, a 7-yard pass from Tannehill to Woods with eight minutes left in the opening quarter.
Tennessee increased the lead to 14-0 when Henry galloped 19 yards around right end for a touchdown with 3:46 left in the period.
McLaughlin booted a 27-yard field goal to get the Colts on the board with 13:25 left in the first half. Randy Bullock got those points back for the Titans with a 39-yard yard goal less than four minutes later.
Disaster struck for the Colts on the next offensive play when Teair Tart deflected Ryan’s pass and then intercepted it at the Colts’ 28-yard line. Five plays later, Tannehill tossed an 8-yard scoring pass to Okonkwo to make it 24-3 with 7:40 left.
Leonard collided with teammate Zaire Franklin on the play and wouldn’t return.
Indianapolis narrowed its deficit to 24-10 on Ryan’s 14-yard scoring pass to Alie-Cox.
–Field Level Media