Tennessee Titans look good for 3 quarters, but lose lead and fall to Joe Flacco, Colts

It's not as if the Tennessee Titans didn't have any opportunities.

The Titans (1-4) lost 20-17 to the Indianapolis Colts (3-3) on Sunday at Nissan Stadium, giving away a game where the Titans seemed to be in control for three quarters. Quarterback Will Levis and the offense had the ball four times with chances to extend or take the lead in the fourth quarter but gained 29 yards on 14 plays, punting three times and throwing one interception to give the game away.

This came on a day where running back Tony Pollard and the ground game averaged more than 5 yards per carry but couldn't put together the big plays when they were needed most.

The Titans led from early in the second quarter until midway through the fourth when quarterback Joe Flacco led the Colts on back-to-back scoring drives to take a 20-17 advantage. Levis had led the Titans on several long, plodding, run-heavy drives through the first three quarters, but a quick three-and-out on three run plays gave the Colts the ball back to set up their go-ahead score.

Levis and the offense retook possession trailing with 7:27 left and quickly went three-and-out again, this time on three incompletions. The defense responded with a stop of its own, getting the Titans the ball back with 5:34 left at the 30-yard line. Levis heaved a second-down interception to give the ball back to the Colts.

Yet another quick defensive stop got the Titans the ball again, this time with 3:49 from their own 6-yard line. And still, the Titans did little with their possession, punting after one first down just before the two-minute warning.

Flacco and the Colts' offense let the clock drip before punting the ball back to the Titans, pinning Levis inside his 3-yard line with 12 seconds and no timeouts.

Levis finished 16-for-27 for 95 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Staggeringly, he failed to complete a pass to wide receiver Calvin Ridley on eight targets and completed only one pass longer than 10 yards. Pollard carried 17 times for 93 yards and a score, but his success winnowed in the fourth quarter.

Penalties and struggles on third down kept the Titans' defense on the field longer than necessary early in the game, but stops piled up in the fourth quarter to keep the home team in the game. Star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed struggled, allowing a touchdown reception and two completions for first downs. He also was called for a 33-yard pass interference penalty that set up the Colts' winning touchdown.

The ball-control Titans

Going into Sunday, the Titans had only one drive that lasted eight minutes or longer. Against the Colts, the Titans put together scoring drives spanning 9:02 and 8:41. Levis was efficient, generally keeping the ball off the ground. But the real star of the show was Pollard, who carried nine times for 52 yards on those two drives, including a 23-yard touchdown scamper on a third-and-19 from just outside the red zone.

But that ball control identity completely disappeared when it mattered most. The three-and-out at the start of the fourth quarter might've been the most difficult to stomach, as the Titans had been running the ball exceptionally to start the game but were stuffed on a third-and-1 carry to force a punt that set up the Colts' go-ahead drive.

Shake-up on the O-line

The Titans replaced regular right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere with Leroy Watson IV as starter Sunday and put together one of their better pass protection games in recent memory. It marked the first game the Titans didn't allow a sack since Oct. 18, 2021.

Watson had been a member of the Titans' practice squad before Sunday. The Titans acquired him in a trade with the Cleveland Browns in the offseason. Watson was flagged for a holding penalty and two false starts Sunday.

What's next?

The Titans return to action next Sunday in Buffalo against the Bills. Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT and the game will be televised on CBS.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com . Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans look good for 3 quarters, but lose lead and fall to Joe Flacco, Colts