The Indianapolis Colts notched an ugly 20-17 win on the road over the 1-4 Tennessee Titans. After a hard-fought victory for Shane Steichen's troops, it's time to look into the risers and fallers from Indy's battle at Nissan Stadium.
Risers | Michael Pittman Jr. & Josh Downs
While Alec Pierce is the most explosive receiving weapon, Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. showed consistency and big-play ability when it mattered most against the Titans. Starting with Downs, the second-year receiver caught 7 of 9 targets for 66 receiving yards and a 22-yard touchdown from Joe Flacco.
Downs has 24 catches on 30 targets and 2 touchdowns in his last three games. The former Tarheel is starting to show serious capabilities as a quick-win receiver who can make defenders pay in space.
As for Pittman, the fifth-year pass-catcher went into the contest with a back injury but still hauled in a 50/50 touchdown that helped Indy take the lead to win the game.
Pittman and Downs are the go-to receivers more often than not, and they showed why they should be against Tennessee. Downs will look to continue his hot streak while Pittman will fight to get healthier ahead of the week seven tilt with the Miami Dolphins.
Faller | Run Defense
The Colts are hapless through six games against the run, allowing another sad 146 rushing yards from the Titans. However, Tony Pollard made Indianapolis pay the most. When the game was tied in the third quarter at 10, Indianapolis had the Titans in a horrific 3rd and 19 situation. However, what ensued was a disgusting display of professional-level football defense.
For an NFL defense to allow a massive gain from a running back draw is absurd. But to cap it off with multiple missed tackles and a touchdown? Even worse. The Colts had a situation where Titans quarterback Will Levis was completely ineffective, completing 16 passes for a measly 95 yards, so they knew how the Titans would move the ball and allowed it anyway.
The Colts have to fix this run defense issue with superior competition ahead, or risk to continue getting gashed consistently against ground attacks. Look for defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to search for answers as the Colts try to get healthier.
Riser | Mo Alie-Cox
Colts' veteran tight end Mo Alie-Cox continues to stave off naysayers as the most reliable at his position for the offense. Alie-Cox had arguably the best receiving game of any Colts tight end this year, hauling in 4/4 passes for 41 receiving yards. While these numbers aren't earth-shattering, considering that Alie-Cox is more of a blocking tight end speaks to Flacco's trust in the vet.
However, Alie-Cox deserves praise. Outside of Alie-Cox, there hasn't been much from the Colts' tight ends from a receiving standpoint. While Steichen's offense will always lean into running the ball and involving receivers, it was a pleasant surprise to see Indy's tight ends finally do something as receivers.
Faller | Kylen Granson
Kylen Granson was thought to be Indy's top receiving tight end for 2024 during the preseason. Through six games, Granson couldn't be farther from that designation. After finishing with another lone target with no catch against the Titans, Granson has just 2 catches for 49 receiving yards (24.5 average) on the year.
Once Jelani Woods was placed on season-ending injured reserve, the belief was that Granson might have a career-best season after finishing 2023 with 30 catches for 368 yards and a touchdown. Granson is in a weird spot in 2024 and doesn't seem too involved with the offensive gameplan. We'll see if that changes with 11 games remaining.
Riser | Sam Womack III
Cornerback Samuel Womack III is emerging as a serious steal for the Colts after claiming him off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers. While Womack only logged 1 tackle against the Titans, he lead the Colts' defense with 2 passes defended.
Routinely Womack was blanketing Calvin Ridley and helped the defense finish with 0 receptions on a whopping 8 targets. Womack is showing out as a true starter and doesn't appear to be slowing down in coverage anytime soon.
Faller | Pass Rush
For a second straight week, the Colts defense notched 0 sacks on the quarterback. While sack numbers in the NFL can be deceiving, that argument tends to lose weight when it's team-based and zeros for two contests in a row. The brightest spots in the pass rush against the Titans were Laiatu Latu and Dayo Odeyingbo, who both applied 2 quarterback hits.
The Colts can't keep getting zero sacks if they want to survive the tougher sections of their schedule. While it's awesome to win on the road, it's concerning that Indianapolis couldn't put more pressure on Levis while he struggled passing. Look for defensive line coach Charlie Partridge to emphasize getting to the QB in week seven when Indianapolis defends home turf against the Dolphins.
