Colts 38-30 Titans (December 22, 2024) Game Recap

Colts 38-30 Titans (December 22, 2024) Game Recap

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jonathan Taylor recovered from perhaps the most embarrassing moment of his career by rushing for 218 yards and scoring three times, including runs of 65 and 70 yards, to lead the Indianapolis Colts past Tennessee 38-30 on Sunday Titans over.

Indy rushed for a franchise-record 335 yards, while Taylor posted the second-highest single-game rushing total this season and in his five-year career. The three rushing scores were the most since he scored four touchdowns against Buffalo in 2021.

Taylor’s big day came a week after he dropped the ball in front of the goal line and it bounced out of bounds, leading to a touchback in a crushing loss at Denver.

This time, Taylor made sure that didn’t happen again this week by holding on to the ball all the way into the end zone. Indy (7-8) won its fourth straight in this AFC South series.

Tennessee (3-12) lost its fourth straight on a miserable day because of a pretty stingy defense. The Titans allowed the most rushing yards since moving from Houston to Nashville in the late 1990s, and it was the second time in four games that an opponent topped 200 yards.

Taylor made it look easy after quarterback Mason Rudolph replaced benched Will Levis and threw a gorgeous 38-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley midway through the first quarter, setting up the Titans for a 53-yard field goal. But when backup kicker Brayden Narveson came up short, things quickly went wrong.

Anthony Richardson tied the score with his record-setting score, a 5-yard run that gave him the most rushing touchdowns by a Colts quarterback in a season (six).

Taylor broke the tie by breaking free for a 65-yard run, keeping the ball as he ran into the tunnel. A short field goal made it 17-7, and then Indy capitalized on Kenny Moore II’s interception with a 27-yard TD pass from Richardson to Josh Downs to make it 24-7.

Taylor did it again on the first play of the second half, going untouched on a 70-yard TD run and then scoring on a 1-yard plunge to make the score 38-7 midway through the third quarter.

Thanks to two scoring runs from Tyjae Spears, a 6-yard TD catch from Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and two 2-point conversions, the Titans got back to within 38-30 with 2:47 to play.

Moore’s second interception of the game as time expired sealed the outcome.

Injury report

Titans: It was also a tough day due to injury. Kicker Nick Folk missed the game with an abdominal injury. DT T’Vondre Sweat left after being stabbed in the right eye but later returned. LB Kenneth Murray Jr. had his injured wrist x-rayed during the game. LB Otis Reed IV injured his ankle. RG Dillon Radunz did not return from a shoulder injury and safety Amani Hooker injured his shoulder in the second half.

Colts: Pro Bowl LG Quenton Nelson left early in the fourth quarter, hitting his helmet after apparently injuring his ankle, but returned for Indy’s final drive. Starting CB Jaylon Jones (neck) and defenseman Tre Flowers (shoulder) did not return from injury. Receiver Alec Pierce (concussion) and linebacker EJ Speed ​​(knee) were both inactive.

Next

The Titans finish their road schedule next Sunday in Jacksonville, while the Colts visit the New York Giants next Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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