AFC Divisional Playoff Game - Titans at Colts, Jan. 16

NFC divisional playoff game

Titans at Colts
RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Ind.,
Sunday, Jan. 16

AT A GLANCE: This game will match a high-octane Colts offense with an equally explosive Titans defense. Fresh off a bye week, the Colts will host their first playoff game in Indianapolis, where they have been tough to beat.

OVERVIEW: The Colts will host the franchise’s first playoff game since 1977, when the Raiders beat the then-Baltimore Colts 37-31 in double overtime at Memorial Stadium. The Colts will also play their first postseason game in Indianapolis.

Tennessee will play in only its third playoff game since the ’93 season, but the team is coming off one of the greatest finishes in NFL postseason history, as the Titans beat the Bills in the wild-card round on a trick kickoff return with three seconds left.

Indianapolis is 7-1 at the RCA Dome this season and has won six straight there. All three of the Titans’ losses this season have come on the road, including two brutal performances in a 17-0 loss at Miami and a 41-14 blowout at Baltimore.

The all-time series between these franchises is tied 7-7, but the Titans/Oilers have won three of the last four meetings. They have never met in the postseason.

WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL:

Tennessee is generally a run-first team, with RB Eddie George as the focal point. George’s size and power will present a difficult matchup for the Colts’ undersized defense. Last week against the Bills, George often ran to the outside with an option of which hole to run through, so the Colts will have to be quick to the gaps to prevent George from breaking loose.

The Colts’ top priority will be to slow George and force QB Steve McNair to beat them. After finishing the season on a tear, McNair had a below-average passing performance vs. Buffalo, completing 13-of-24 passes for 76 yards. Except for his five-TD-pass effort in Week 16 vs. Jacksonville, McNair has done most of his damage with his feet. He is exceptionally athletic and nimble and turns into a running back when he’s on the move.

The Titans at times protect McNair by steering their play-calling away from his deficiencies (e.g., throwing downfield). Thus, Tennessee’s tight ends play a big role in the passing game. Frank Wycheck (knee; questionable at presstime; check status) led the team in receptions for the fourth straight season, and he has become very proficient at gaining yards after the catch.

The matchups
Tennessee Titans		Indianapolis Colts
	QBs
	RBs
	Rec
	OLs
	DLs
	LBs
	DBs
	ST
	Coaches

Profile
RCA Dome
Indianapolis, Ind.
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2000
4:05 p.m. Eastern Time
Type Of Turf: Artificial
Meeting Of The Year: Only
Season Record:
	Tennessee	14-3-0
	Indianapolis	13-3-0
Season Record Vs. Spread:
	Tennessee	11-5-1
	Indianapolis	9-5-2
Home/Road Record:
	Tennessee (R)	5-3-0
	Indianapolis (H)	7-1-0
Home/Road Record Vs. Spread:
	Tennessee (R)	4-3-1
	Indianapolis (H)	4-3-1
Record On Artificial Turf:
	Tennessee	3-0-0
	Indianapolis	10-2-0
Record On Artificial Turf Vs. Spread:
	Tennessee	2-0-1
	Indianapolis	6-4-2

If OLB Cornelius Bennett (knee) can’t go, the Colts’ pass defense could suffer underneath. Backup Bert Berry is a good pass rusher but does not have Bennett’s instincts in coverage. Colts safeties Chad Cota and Jason Belser can also be exploited by big, athletic tight ends.

A good matchup to keep an eye on is Colts DRE Chad Bratzke vs. Titans OLT Brad Hopkins. Bratzke got into the offensive backfield more than any Colts defender, leading the team in sacks and QB hits. Hopkins and fellow OT Jon Runyan have been very effective this season.

WHEN THE COLTS HAVE THE BALL:

This will be the postseason debut of Indianapolis’ "Big Three" as a trio: QB Peyton Manning (the AFC’s leading passer), RB Edgerrin James (the NFL’s leading rusher) and WR Marvin Harrison (the NFL’s leader in receiving yards). All three will face a stiff test from an aggressive, physical defense that set a club record for sacks in a season (54).

But the Colts have a group of record-setting pass blockers. Indy set a franchise mark for the fewest sacks allowed in a season (14) and has given up two or fewer sacks in eight straight games. That streak will be put to the test vs. a Titans pass rush that features speedy DLE Jevon Kearse, the AFC’s sack leader (14�). Kearse should have the edge over Colts ORT Adam Meadows.

Manning deserves as much credit for the low sack total as the line. The second-year prodigy has a great feel for the rush and knows when to get rid of the ball. Still, look for the Colts to max-protect often and chip Kearse with James and TEs Ken Dilger and Marcus Pollard.

Harrison should have some special attention paid to him as well. But most of the responsibility to cover him should fall on CB Samari Rolle’s shoulders. Rolle has taken the opposition’s top target of late because of his knack for getting his hands on the ball.

Indianapolis will likely try to use the Titans’ speed and aggressiveness to its advantage with play-action passes and draws. On the latter, the Colts will try to catch Kearse & Co. upfield and seal them off from the play. But the Titans have had good success stuffing the run, allowing only one 100-yard rusher this season.

The Titans have also been adept at forcing turnovers. They had 40 takeaways, and their plus-18 ratio ranked second in the league during the regular season.

Game preview and depth charts were compiled as of Jan. 9, 2000

Titans schedule
Pointspread shown refers to Tennessee
Date	Opponent	Spread	Score
Sept. 12	Cincinnati	(-10)	36-35
Sept. 19	Cleveland	(-15)	26-9
Sept. 26	At Jacksonville	(+9.5)	20-19
Oct. 3	At San Francisco	(+1.5)	22-24
Oct. 10	Baltimore	(-7)	14-11
Oct. 17	At New Orleans	(-3)	24-21
Oct. 24	BYE
Oct. 31	St. Louis	(+3)	24-21
Nov. 7	At Miami	(+3)	0-17
Nov. 14	At Cincinnati	(-9.5)	24-14
Nov. 21	Pittsburgh	(-4.5)	16-10
Nov. 28	At Cleveland	(-9.5)	33-21
Dec. 5	At Baltimore	(-3)	14-41
Dec. 9	Oakland	(-3)	21-14
Dec. 19	Atlanta	(-10)	30-17
Dec. 26	Jacksonville	(+3.5)	41-14
Jan. 2	At Pittsburgh	(-3.5)	47-36
Jan. 8	Buffalo	(-4)	22-16

Colts schedule
Pointspread shown refers to Indianapolis
Date	Opponent	Spread	Score
Sept. 12	Buffalo	(+2.5)	31-14
Sept. 19	At New England	(+3.5)	28-31
Sept. 26	At San Diego	(0)	27-19
Oct. 3	BYE
Oct. 10	Miami	(0)	31-34
Oct. 17	At New York Jets	(-3)	16-13
Oct. 24	Cincinnati	(-10.5)	31-10
Oct. 31	Dallas	(-3)	34-24
Nov. 7	Kansas City	(-4.5)	25-17
Nov. 14	At New York Giants	(-3)	27-19
Nov. 21	At Philadelphia	(-7)	44-17
Nov. 28	New York Jets	(-7)	13-6
Dec. 5	At Miami	(+2)	37-34
Dec. 12	New England	(-7)	20-15
Dec. 19	Washington	(-6.5)	24-21
Dec. 26	At Cleveland	(-13.5)	29-28
Jan. 2	At Buffalo	(-2.5)	6-31

Titans depth chart
OFFENSE
WR	87 DYSON, 81 Sanders, 85 Mason
OLT	72 HOPKINS, 76 Mathews
OLG	74 MATTHEWS, 71 Piller*
C	60 LONG, 74 Matthews
ORG	75 OLSON, 66 Layman
ORT	69 RUNYAN, 76 Mathews
TE	89 WYCHECK, 88 Harris, 80 Roan, 84 Brown
WR	82 THIGPEN, 83 Byrd, 86 Kent
QB	9 MCNAIR, 14 O'Donnell, 13 Daft*
FB	41 NEAL, 80 Roan
RB	27 E. GEORGE, 20 Thomas, 26 S. George
DEFENSE
DLE	90 KEARSE*, 94 Frederick
DLT	91 EVANS, 96 Jones, 78 Thornton*
DRT	97 FISK, 95 Salave'a
DRE	92 FORD, 99 Holmes
LLB	55 ROBINSON, 54 Glover*
MLB	52 WORTHAM, 59 Colman
RLB	58 BOWDEN, 50 Killens, 51 Favors
LCB	25 WALKER, 37 Sidney
RCB	21 ROLLE, 30 Mitchell*, 38 McCullough
SS	23 BISHOP, 35 Phenix
FS	31 ROBERTSON, 33 Dorsett, 24 Jackson
SPECIALISTS
P	15 HENTRICH
PK	3 DEL GRECO
H	15 HENTRICH
PR	85 MASON, 83 Byrd, 26 S. George
KR	85 MASON, 20 Thomas, 26 S. George, 33 Dorsett
KC	74 MATTHEWS, 60 Long
* Rookie

Colts depth chart
OFFENSE
WR	80 WILKINS, 84 Green, 16 Plummer
OLT	78 GLENN, 71 Wilson
OLG	76 MCKINNEY, 63 Saturday
C	72 MOORE, 59 J. Johnson
ORG	74 JACKSON, 63 Saturday
ORT	73 MEADOWS, 71 Wilson
TE	85 DILGER, 81 Pollard, 83 Banta
WR	88 HARRISON, 86 Pathon, 15 Jones*
QB	18 MANNING, 4 Walsh, 13 Holcomb
RB	32 JAMES*, 23 Elias, 43 Greene, 34 McElroy
H-b	81 POLLARD, 39 Shields*, 43 Greene
DEFENSE
DLE	95 WHITTINGTON, 90 M. Thomas, 91 Nwokorie*
DLT	64 CHESTER, 61 McCoy
DRT	62 E. JOHNSON, 72 Bonham
DRE	92 BRATZKE, 99 Scioli*
LLB	57 BERRY, 97 Bennett
MLB	53 BARBER, 56 Reid
RLB	52 PETERSON*, 55 R. Thomas
LCB	20 BURRIS, 26 Blevins, 21 Miranda*
RCB	38 POOLE, 31 Muhammad*, 27 Randolph
SS	37 COTA, 40 Smedley
FS	29 BELSER, 47 Austin
SPECIALISTS
P	17 SMITH*
PK	12 VANDERJAGT, 7 Kight
H	4 WALSH, 17 Smith*
PR	80 WILKINS*, 86 Pathon
KR	80 WILKINS*, 86 Pathon
KC	83 BANTA, 85 Dilger
* Rookie

Back to Handicapper's Corner

Titans at Colts RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Ind., Sunday, Jan. 16

Tennessee Titans

Indianapolis Colts

QBs

RBs

Rec

OLs

DLs

LBs

DBs

ST

Coaches

Titans at Colts
RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Ind.,
Sunday, Jan. 16