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NFL Week 6 picks, predictions for Colts vs Titans: Can Indianapolis solve Tennessee defense?

By Scott Horner, Indianapolis Star,

2 days ago

The Indianapolis Colts − most of them, anyway − visit the Tennessee Titans in NFL Week 6 action. The Colts (2-3) have a long injury list while the Titans (1-3) have had a chance to heal following their bye week.

Tennessee's Will Levis and Indianapolis' Anthony Richardson are tied for the NFL lead in interceptions, each throwing 6. Levis has also lost 3 fumbles. The Colts' defense allows the most yards per game (419.2), while the Titans allow the fewest (243.8).

The betting line has shifted wildly, with the Titans going from a 1-point underdog to a 2.5-point favorite. There's no consensus with these picks.

NFL Week 6 picks, predictions for Colts-Titans

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times : Colts 24-21

Quarterbacks Will Levis of Tennessee and Anthony Richardson of Indianapolis both are optimistic they can return for this. “Oh … yay,” say their fan bases, whose teams are better when starting backups.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports : Titans 27-20

The Colts are coming off a loss at Jacksonville, so they are out on the road two straight weeks. The Titans are off a bye. Big edge to the home team. The health of both quarterbacks bears watching, but no matter who plays quarterback for either team the big edge goes to the Titans defense. The Colts can't stop anybody. Titans win it.

Bill Bender, Sporting News : Colts 30-27

The Colts are 2-3, and their five games have been decided by a combined total of 19 points. They have been a hard team to gauge as a result. Joe Flacco averages 263.5 passing yards per game with five TDs and no interceptions. Will Indianapolis ride this out even if Anthony Richardson (oblique) is close to returning? The Titans are coming out of the bye week after a rough start that includes a minus-7 turnover ratio through four games. Indianapolis is 4-1 ATS this season.

Doyel: Nobody's lying about Richardson, but nobody's telling full truth

Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report : Titans win

Three factors play into the Titans' favor when facing the Colts.

First, Tennessee is coming off its bye, with two weeks to prepare and heal for this particular matchup.

Second, the Titans offense isn't good, but the Colts defense is the league's worst by a rather wide margin. Tennessee's offense should be able to move the ball, whether Will Levis or Marson Rudolph is starting at quarterback.

Finally, the Titans hold a significant advantage by fielding the No. 1 defense, specifically a strong defensive interior, while the Colts have been dealing with injuries at guard and center.

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk : Titans 20-17

The Tennessee defense is stout. Will they get quality quarterback play?

Big shift: Who is favored in Titans vs Colts? NFL Week 6 betting line moves

Ali Bhanpuri, NFL.com : Titans 21-19

With quarterback questions on both sides and injuries ravaging Indy's defense, the most trustworthy unit in this game − by far − is Tennessee's D. Under first-year coordinator Dennard Wilson, the Titans are first in total defense … and 15th in scoring defense. Why the discrepancy between those two rankings? Well, Tennessee's official mark in scoring D − 22.5 ppg allowed − carries three touchdowns that were not yielded by the defense (two Will Levis pick-6s and a blocked-punt TD). Remove those from the equation, and the Titans are giving up 17.3 ppg, a far more palatable figure. One area that does leave something to be desired, though: takeaways. Tennessee has just two, tied for dead last in the NFL. Now, I don't want to take away from the top takeaway teams, because there is indeed a "make your own luck" aspect to creating turnovers in bulk, but flukiness is an undeniable ingredient in the possession-stealing stew. And given the way this defense has been playing, the Titans are due for the oblong ball to haphazardly bounce their way. Tennessee doubles its season total with a pair of takeaways on Sunday to grind out a divisional win at home.

Walter Football : Titans 20-17

Will Levis practiced fully, prompting this line to move from Titans +1 to -2.5. Why the excitement for Levis, when all he does is sabotage games? I have no idea.

Vic Tafur, The Athletic : Colts win

Anthony Richardson was throwing on the run at Wednesday’s practice, and the Colts have said he will start if able. Never mind that Joe Flacco leads the NFL with a 115.6 passer rating and ranks second in EPA per dropback at 0.23, better than Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. That’s a little better than Will Levis’ 72.8 passer rating — he might be back for the Titans as his banged-up shoulder is getting better. That is good news for Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who has come under fire but should be able to stack the box against RB Tony Pollard. Neither team gets much pressure on the quarterback, so we’ll go with the Colts, whoever the quarterback is.

Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY : Colts 23-17

The Titans are coming off their bye, and there’s uncertainty about who plays quarterback for the Colts, so I would wait until closer to game time. But I will probably still lean Colts pretty strongly here, assuming they learn from their defensive struggles Sunday against the Jaguars.

Anthony Dabbundo, The Ringer : Over 43 total points

Of the 98 quarterbacks with at least 80 snaps since 2020, Anthony Richardson ranks second in average depth of target, (Tennessee's Will) Levis is third, and Colts backup Joe Flacco is fifth. Because of the high frequency of downfield throws for both teams and the fast pace at which the Colts like to play, the over is once again the only viable option in this game.

Who is favored in Titans vs. Colts?

via BetMGM

Favorite : Titans by 2.5 points

Colts are 4-1 against the spread; Titans are 1-3 ATS

Over/under : 43 total points

Tennessee's last 2 games have gone over (2 under, 2 over overall); Indianapolis' last 2 games have gone over (3 over, 2 under overall).

Moneyline : Colts +115, Titans -140

ESPN's matchup predictor gives the Colts a 52.5% chance of winning.

When do the Colts play the Titans in NFL Week 6?

1 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

Where can I watch Colts vs Titans? How to watch NFL Week 6 game

CBS , with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analysis) and Aditi Kinkhabwala (sideline reporting)

How to stream, watch Titans-Colts game for NFL Week 6

The Colts-Titans matchup will stream on Paramount+ at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. The app is available in the Apple App Store or on Google Play . Fans can also download NFL+ in the Apple App Store or on Google Play .