Week 17: Colts vs. Titans 2010 Highlights

There was no magic blue fairy dust in today's game, but Peyton Manning and the Colts managed to eke out a win over the Tennessee Titans on an Adam Vinatieri field goal - final score 23-20. I expected our men in blue to jump out to an early lead, but the Titans played hard and kept the game tied up until the last few seconds.

Though this game didn't go the way Dan Dierdorf most people thought it would, the Colts still won the AFC South. With the Kansas City Chiefs losing to the Oakland Raiders, the Colts clenched the number 3 seed in the AFC and will host the New York Jets in the first round of playoffs. They would have won the AFC South anyway, thanks to a Texans' shellacking of the Jaguars, but a loss to the Titans tonight would have put them at the number 4 seed to face off against the Ravens instead of the Jets.

Watch highlights from the Colts vs. Titans game here:


Credit:  18pmc18, NFL Game Highlights


Adam Vinatieri's game-winning 43-yard field goal:


Credit: TopSportVids

As irrationally optimistic as I've been in the past few weeks following the Colts' breakout running game, I know there are chinks in the armor that even Peyton Manning can't fix.

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My WTF Moments:

1. MISSING: Receivers' hands. Please notify authorities once found. - There were a lot of dropped passes in the game today. You can argue that Manning underthrew a few of them, but the receivers were definitely having an off night. Case in point: Pierre Garcon reverting to his inconsistent self. The boy is amazing when he's on his game, but when he's off... well, you know the story. The defense was on the field way longer than the offense and that hardly ever bodes well for the Colts. I miss Austin Collie.
2. Fumble recovered by the Titans fumbled by the Titans recovered by the Colts - When the ball popped out from Dominic Rhodes' arms, I felt like my "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo" scream easily rivaled the super long "Gooooaaaaaaaaaaal" shout of that famous soccer announcer. What an awful way to win the division by losing! Fortunately, luck was on the Colts' side (for once) and the Titans fumbled on their ensuing drive, allowing Mr. Clutch to kick the game-winning field goal.
3. Pass defense goes into hiding - The Colts' defense was able to contain Chris Johnson, but they gave up lots of big plays on Kerry Collins' passes. Aaron Francisco, what is going on? I know the Colts are depleted in the secondary, but Francisco plays like he's auditioning for the Statue of Liberty. 
4. Side effects of swimming in freezing water - I don't know what's up, but Pat McAfree has not been punting well. Since just getting to 20 yards is a decent return for the Colts, there's absolutely no reason for McAfree to make it harder on the team by giving opponents better field position. I don't know. It's either the long hair or the frozen dip.
5. Sudden surge of pride for the Houston, Texans - I'm actually a native Houstonian, but I never cheer for the Texans. I always feel like the biggest traitor for being such a loyal Colts' fan, but tonight, I was really proud of my city's team. They didn't shoot themselves in the foot and their hard effort guaranteed the Colts a playoff spot. 

The Colts are banged up and in dire need of some super glue, duct tape, caulk, epoxy, or whatever strong adhesive necessary to hold together the chinks, but the thing that makes them such a dangerous team year in and year out is that they never give up.

Manning and the Colts are still kicking. Count on it.