Titans deliver a Monday night message
Undefeated Titans make a statement with 'MNF' win
By Jim Wyatt • THE TENNESSEAN • October 28, 2008
No one should be questioning the Tennessee Titans now.
Not the Indianapolis Colts, not the rest of the NFL.
On the national stage they'd been craving, the Titans kicked their AFC South rivals to the curb. And in a 31-21 victory over the Colts at LP Field on Monday Night Football, they just might have proved their perfect start was no fluke.
Consider Code Blue a rousing success. The Titans came off the mat in the second half, put away their old nemesis in convincing fashion, improved to 7-0 and took a four-game lead in the division.
The Colts, Jaguars and Texans are all 3-4. The season hits the midway point next week.
"We made a statement,'' Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "The Colts are definitely no slouches. They came in and played good, but we held. … Now, the Titans are the team to beat.''
Trailing 14-6 in the third quarter, the Titans scored 25 straight points to take a 31-14 lead late in the fourth quarter before the Colts scored another touchdown.
Running back LenDale White provided two short touchdown runs. Running back Chris Johnson added a 16-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter to put the game away with 3:31 remaining.
Quarterback Kerry Collins kept his poise as the Titans trailed in the second half. He finished 24-of-37 passing for 193 yards.
"The Colts have been on top for a lot of years and we're trying to get where they've been, so it was a big step for us tonight,'' Collins said.
"We obviously got off to a good start this season, so to get one more, against a division opponent, it's real big at this time of year.''
On defense, the Titans weren't as stingy as they'd been in recent weeks. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was 26-of-41 for 223 yards and two touchdowns, both to tight end Dallas Clark. The Colts outgained the Titans 317-281 in total yards.
But the Titans came up with two fourth-down stops in a momentum-changing second half, one by middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch on fourth-and-1 near midfield when he halted Colts running back Dominic Rhodes for a 1-yard loss. Safety Chris Hope also had two interceptions, the last one setting up Johnson's scoring run.
Titans kicker Rob Bironas kicked three field goals, from 34, 44 and 48 yards.
LINK
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