Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota recovered from two early interceptions to score 14 unanswered points and defeat the Indianapolis Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, 20-16.
Mariota finished the contest having completed 17-of-25 passes for 184 yards and one touchdown against his two interceptions, his only passing touchdown going to tight end Delanie Walker following a costly Colts fumble.
Titans running back Derrick Henry turned it on late to put the game on ice in the final quarter of play, as he led the team with 79 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Though free of turnovers, Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s performance simply wasn’t enough to spark an Indianapolis offense in desperate need dynamic playmakers. He completed just 17-of-29 passes for 189 yards. Tight end Jack Doyle, Brissett’s go-to target, led the team with seven receptions for 94 yards.
Of course, Brissett may have had a better performance if he wasn’t within arm’s reach of a Titans defender so often, for he was sacked a whopping eight times on the day. With that, we give you our PFF-exclusive takeaways from the contest for each team.
Top 5 Grades:
RB Derrick Henry, 84.9 overall grade
T Jack Conklin, 84.7 overall grade
Edge Brian Orakpo, 81.7 overall grade
S Kevin Byard, 80.9 overall grade
TE Delanie Walker, 78.8 overall grade
Performances of Note:
RB Derrick Henry, 84.9 overall grade
Henry ran with a physical edge against the Colts and made the most of the Titans' ability to get him into space on the edge against smaller Colts defenders. He forced five missed tackles in the game, all of them coming in the fourth quarter and four of them against Colts' defensive backs. 58 of his 79 rushing yards came on rushes off left end or right end and his ability to physicality dominate the Colts defensive backs was a key part of the Titans getting their first win in Indianapolis since 2007.
WR Corey Davis, 74.2 overall grade
This was a game of rare bright spots for the Titans' on offense but Corey Davis made two nice grabs in the game, including one to extend the drive that iced the game on a 19-yard gain over Kenny Moore II. He beat Antonio Morrison for a missed tackle on a reception in the second quarter as well and these glimpses are what the Titans need to see more often moving forwards as Davis gets up to speed his injury-interrupted rookie season.
Edge Brian Orakpo, 81.7 overall grade
Orakpo earned three total pressures, including two sacks, to go with an additional stop on the afternoon. The former first-round pick has now tallied multiple pressures in every game this season since Week 1 and he's had mutliple stops in seven out of 11 weeks.
DI Jurrell Casey, 77.7 overall grade
Casey got off to a hot start, racking up three pressures (including a hit) by the time the first play of the second quarter had been completed before having a relatively quiet rest of the game. Casey – like Orakpo – has recorded mutliple pressures in every week since Week 1; Casey has also recorded at least one stop in every game this season.
Top 5 Grades:
CB Pierre Desir, 82.4 overall grade
DI Al Woods, 82.3 overall grade
TE Jack Doyle, 81.3 overall grade
DI Johnathan Hankins, 80.1 overall grade
LB Jon Bostic, 79.8 overall grade
Performances of Note:
QB Jacoby Brissett, 43.7 overall grade
Brissett was under pressure on more than half of his dropbacks on Sunday, and it clearly had an effect. The young quarterback out of NC State completed just 4-of-12 passes when under presure for just 27 total yards. When he was given time to throw Brissett completed 13-of-17 throws for 169 yards and a 107.2 passer rating.
TE Jack Doyle, 81.3 overall grade
Doyle hauled in seven of eight targets and earned 36 of his 94 yards after the catch. Doyle caught passes when matched up against five different defenders in coverage and his quarterback had a 115.6 passer rating when targeting him. Five of Doyle's catches resulted in a Colts first down.
CB Pierre Desir, 82.4 overall grade
Desir's fourth straight start saw him rack up as many stops as he had done in his first three games combined, three. Desir was rarely tested (one target for a 4-yard gain) but he was able to make plays on short passes into other defender's coverage to help prevent the Titans' from converting many short passes into big gains when he was in the vicinity. The rest of the Colts' defensive backs missed a combined six tackles, telling the story of how the Titans were able to sneak away in the fourth quarter.
DI Al Woods, 82.3 overall grade
Facing off against his former team for the second time this season, Woods continued his fine form in run defense, tying a season high with four stops. Woods consistently had the better of the Titans' interior offensive line and had no trouble disposing of the Titans' tight ends when they attempted to trap him on some of their more exotic run schemes.
PFF Game Ball: Derrick Henry, RB
*Grades are subject to change upon review
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