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The Indianapolis Colts are still in the thick of the playoff hunt as they turn their attention to visiting the Tennessee Titans on a short week for a Thursday night showdown at Nissan Stadium.
Following their Week 9 loss against the Baltimore Ravens, the Colts dropped one spot in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings. They now hold the No. 10 spot entering Week 10.
Here’s what Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire had to say:
Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens might have been one of those contests where you could question if either team wanted to win. The Indianapolis Colts scored a touchdown on their second offensive possession, and after forcing a Ravens’ punt they had a chance to build an early 14-point lead. Yet rookie running back Jonathan Taylor put the ball on the turf, which the Ravens returned for a touchdown. That sent Taylor to the bench, and the game into a tie.
Then in the second half, look at this sequence. The Ravens fumbled on the opening possession of the third quarter, with Gus Edwards coughing up the football. That was followed by a Philip Rivers interception on the very next play…an interception that was not without controversy.
Baltimore would go on to score a touchdown on their ensuing possession, taking their first lead of the game 14-10, and they would go on to the final score of 24-10.
It is hard to take much from this game from a Colts’ perspective. One might wonder about Taylor, who is a talented back but did not see much action after putting the ball on the ground. There were questions about Rivers, but it is hard to put this interception – if you want to call it that – on his shoulders. Perhaps the biggest question was how the offense simply failed to respond after that turnover. Following that play the Ravens failed to score any points, and gained just 128 yards on 29 plays.
Not good enough.
The Colts are in the toughest part of their schedule right now. Much of their playoff hopes could be decided in the next three weeks. With games against the Titans, Packers and Titans, respectively, the Colts are looking at the gauntlet.
How the Colts will fare remains to be seen, but they are still one of the better teams in the league even following the loss against the Ravens.
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