The Tennessee Titans are heading to Lucas Oil Stadium for an AFC South tilt with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
The Titans (3-11) are coming off another disappointing loss against the Cincinnati Bengals and would like nothing more than to dampen the Colts’ slim playoff hopes.
The Colts (6-8) struggled against the Denver Broncos and are barely holding on to hope.
There is a lot on the line for both teams and this should be an interesting AFC South battle. Here are three reasons for optimism heading into this match-up.
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Calvin Ridley
Calvin Ridley had one of his worst games of 2024 in the first match-up between these teams and will be highly motivated to make amends in this contest.
A lot has changed since that Week 6 battle, and Ridley has become more consistent. With Mason Rudolph now at the helm, the Titans should be able to use his dynamic receiving ability to help open up the running game. Plus, with both Tyler Boyd and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine banged up, he has had time this week to build some chemistry with Rudolph.
If the Titans are to win on Sunday, they need a receiver to step up and Ridley should be that guy.
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The change to Mason Rudolph
Will Levis imploded during Week 15 and destroyed any chance to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals with his poor decision-making and turnovers. After the game, head coach Brian Callahan decided to go with Mason Rudolph and it was the right call.
Rudolph may not have the physical attributes of Levis, but he understands the offense, can read defenses, and make the right decisions. He looked good against the Bengals and now having a full week of first-team reps, the offense could continue that trend this week. When you couple that with a stout Titans defense taking on a Colts offense with an erratic quarterback, good things could happen.
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It’s a divisional matchup
Games within a division are different and are almost always closer than they should be when looking solely at the statistics or the standings. This AFC South battle should be no different. The talent differential between these two teams is not as wide as their records may indicate, and the Titans are growing every week. This could be the week they get back on track. There is belief in the locker room and that could be the recipe for a win on Sunday.