By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans continued their ups and downs with a big drop-off versus the Colts. They lost to a divisional opponent while playing mainly against the Colts' backup’ quarterback, running back and left tackle.  

The Titans struggled to stop either of the Colts quarterbacks.  

Colts rookie Anthony Richardson was nine for 12 with 98 yards and backup Gardner Minshew was 11 for 14 with 155 yards passing.  Both were very efficient passing games with only one sack, and that came from a nickel blitz by Roger McCreary. 

The Titans struggled to stop the Colts’ run game and find their own. 

INDIANAPOLIS -- The rollercoaster ride continues. 

You are, undoubtedly, infuriated.

This is part of what the Titans get for trying to straddle competition in a weak AFC South in 2023 and revamping for 2024.

But Sunday's third loss of the season, another debacle, is the sort that leaves one wondering how much of a point there can be to competing with the other bad teams in this collection because it's so hard to imagine competition with actual good teams.

What was good about the Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium? DeAndre Hopkins was. Nick Folk again. After that, it starts to get difficult. 

M<any of you came to break it down, vent, commiserate and tell me about the good football you saw from your couch while I endured on your behalf from the press box at Lucas Oil Stadium.

You can head to the private Facebook page or below to the secret YouTube to rewatch our review.

INDIANAPOLIS – Ryan Tannehill was sacked just once. What a relief, right? The Colts hit him eight times Sunday afternoon but the pass pressure that has been the root of so many Titans’ problems so far this season didn’t dictate things.

The interview podium at Lucas Oil Stadium is probably the highest in the NFL – we look up our subject’s nostrils while they talk. But Tannehill didn’t have to dread the climb up there after this one, there was no beating.

Yet solving their top issue didn’t pave the way for the Titans to find points and win in their first AFC South game of the season. It simply gave them a chance to show off a number of other ugly issues in a 23-16 loss.  

Hey, we can block their front, but look over here, where we completed three of six passes for 13 yards in the red zone. And watch Derrick Henry get stuffed on a massive fourth-and-1 from the Colts’ 5-yard line with 8:03 left in the game and a chance to pull ahead 23-20. Over here we’ve got the run defense we consider a key to our ID giving up 193 yards on 34 carries, highlighted by 7.2 a carry for Zack Moss. And let’s not forget once-promising second-rounder Kristian Fulton, who’s supposed to be our best corner. He allowed a 38-yard pass to Josh Downs on a third-and-16 in the second quarter and committed 22- and 16-yard pass interference penalties as well.

The Titans are 2-3 and they can’t win on the road where they’ve now scored one touchdown and are averaging 11.3 points a game. 

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans and Colts both come into Sunday’s divisional matchup at 2-2. 

Tennessee is a veteran team but has been inconsistent throughout the first quarter of the season. Veteran teams should be more established at this point in the season, and the hope is Week Four against the Cincinnati Bengals was that defining game for the Titans.

The Colts are a team led by a rookie quarterback who has shown flashes of playmaking ability but also a lot of inconsistencies and unpredictable play. They are also starting three rookies this season.  

Game Five of the season won’t completely define each club regarding the rest of the season, but this is a big division game and gives the winner not only an advantage in the win column but also a point in the right direction for the second quarter of the season.

Matchups that favor the Titans:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- So will the Titans continue their down-up-down-up pattern Sunday in Indianapolis?

Or will they build on five consecutive wins over the Colts in their first AFC South game of the season, relying on Derrick Henry along the way as they have so often in the past?

There are some reasons to be optimistic. While I know people are down on Kyle Philips because of his injury history, he brings short-area quickness the team's been lacking and should be back on the field. Peter Skoronski is also expected back after missing three games. And Nicholas Petit-Frere could pop up as an alternative to Andre Dillard at left tackle if Dillard struggles.

Skoronski is a difference-maker and Philips can be a contributor. So the Titans have that going for them. But they've got to figure out how to slow down Anthony Richardson, who's a difficult runner to handle though he's got a very low completion percentage.

So please head to the private Facebook page for members or the secret YouTube below to rewatch the great conversation we had at the half of Thursday Night Football.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Since 2020 the Titans have been dominant in the AFC South with a 72.2 winning percentage.

Only Kansas City (82.3 percent) and Buffalo (80 percent) are better in their divisions in that span.

The Titans have done a lot right to sustain that dominance against the Colts (5-1), Texans (4-2) and Jaguars (4-2) over that time. But nothing has been more consistent than Derrick Henry's performance. [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nobody likes perpetually injured guys. Kyle Philips' career spans 21 games and he's been available for four.

Still, I think you should be excited about his return from the knee injury he suffered during the Titans' preseason game in Minnesota because the Titans offense has been severely lacking in the one department he directly addresses: short-area quickness.

If Philips quickly suffers another injury, we'll have a different conversation. But right now he's about to be available and he can be a solution to a clear problem

That's where we begin this week's edition of The Paul Kuharsky Podcast.

Other topics I address:

💥 Recent divisional and October dominance.

💥 Jack Gibbens has been very good.

💥 Nick Folk as an example of problem-solving.

💥 Is Nicholas Petit-Frere heading to left tackle?

💥 The improved blocking of the tight ends.

The new episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeart and YouTube, which is below.

The podcast is the front door to PaulKuharsky.com.

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By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

Through four weeks, it’s difficult to feel extremely confident in an overarching opinion about how good the 2023 Tennessee Titans are, especially after the whiplash-inducing back-to-back performances against the Browns and Bengals. One week they look completely helpless, the next week they’re dismantling a team that most view as a Super Bowl contender.

There are a few things that I do feel confident that I know about this team.

1. The run defense is, once again, elite. It was expected coming into the season, but through (almost) a quarter of the season, Tennessee is back atop its perch as the stingiest run defense in the NFL by yards per carry allowed (2.9), a metric they’ve finished no lower than fourth in over the past two seasons.

And this year’s performance has been even more dominant than the past couple of versions. Credit here should go to