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Titans Host Division Rival Colts on Thursday Night

Tennessee Titans (5-7) vs. Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
Thursday, December 9th, 2010 • 7:20pm CST • LP Field • Nashville, TN • TV: NFLN/WSMV-4

Tennessee TitansNashville, TN – The Tennessee Titans (5-7) host the Indianapolis Colts (6-6) Thursday night in the second of three consecutive home games against division opponents. Kickoff at LP Field (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for 7:20pm CST on Thursday, December 9th.

The Titans will attempt to end a three-game losing streak to the Colts. The last victory they earned in the series was a 31-21 win at LP Field on Monday night, October 27th, 2008.

This week’s game is the first of two annual meetings between the two clubs. They conclude the regular season with a matchup at Indianapolis on January 2nd. In the meantime, the Titans will host the Houston Texans on December 19th and then make an appearance at Kansas City on December 26th.

The Broadcast

NFL Network will broadcast the game to a national television audience. The telecast can be seen locally in Nashville on WSMV-TV 4. Bob Papa will handle play-by-play duties, while Matt Millen and Joe Theismann will provide analysis.

The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will broadcast the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Frank Wycheck, sideline reporter Cody Allison and gameday host Larry Stone.

Additionally, Westwood One Radio Sports will carry the national radio broadcast. Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Trent Green (analyst) and Laura Okmin (sidelines) will provide the call.

The game can be heard locally on 1400 AM, WJZM.

Teams Chasing Jaguars In Division

Tennessee TitansAt 5-7, the Titans are tied with the Texans for third place in the division. They fell to two games off the pace of the first-place Jacksonville Jaguars last week, as the Jaguars delivered them a 17-6 defeat at LP Field. The Colts are one game back at 6-6. The Jaguars are at home this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, while the Texans host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

Since the formation of the AFC South in 2002, the Titans or Colts have won the division crown every season. The Titans have won it twice, while the Colts have clinched the title six times.

The Colts

Indianapolis Colts Like the Titans, who have lost five consecutive contests entering Thursday’s game, the Colts will attempt to reverse a recent downturn since beginning the season at 5-2. They have lost three straight, including games on the road against the New England Patriots and at home versus the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.

Quarterback Peyton Manning leads the NFL with 3,709 passing yards and is tied for second in the league with 24 touchdown passes. His primary target, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, has 90 receptions for 1,107 yards, ranking second and third in the NFL, respectively.

On Thursdays

Thursday Night Football - NFLThe Titans own an all-time record of 8-5 in Thursday games. Most recently, they visited the Pittsburgh Steelers for the NFL’s 2009 Thursday night season-opener and were defeated in overtime by a final score of 13-10. Prior to that game, the last non-Thanksgiving Thursday game played by the Titans in primetime was a victory against the Oakland Raiders on December 9th, 1999. That was also the last time the Titans played at LP Field on a Thursday. In 2008, they played a daytime Thanksgiving game at Detroit and defeated the Lions 47-10.

Titans-Colts Series At A Glance

  • Overall series (regular & postseason): Colts lead series 18-13
  • Regular Season Series: Colts lead series 18-12
  • Postseason Series: Titans lead series 1-0
  • Current streak: Three wins by Colts
  • Titans at home vs. Colts: 6-7
  • Titans on the road vs. Colts: 7-11
  • Last Time at LP Field: Colts 31 at Titans 9 (10/11/09)
  • Last Time at Lucas Oil Stadium: Titans 17 at Colts 27 (12/6/09)
  • First Time: Baltimore Colts 24 at Oilers 20 (10/11/70)
  • Jeff Fisher’s Record vs. Colts: 6-11 (including 1-0 postseason)
  • Jim Caldwell’s Record vs. Titans: 2-0
  • Jeff Fisher’s Record vs. Jim Caldwell: 0-2

What To Look For This Week

  • K Rob Bironas can extend his streak of 17 consecutive field goals without a miss. The streak currently ranks fifth in franchise history, three behind the record shared by Bironas (20 in 2007-08) and Al Del Greco (20 in 1998-99). One field goal without a miss this week would tie Bironas for fourth place all-time (18 by Del Greco, 1995-96), and two field goals would tie for third (19 by Bironas in 2007).
  • With three touchdown passes, QB Kerry Collins (197 career touchdown passes) will become the 31st player in NFL history to reach 200 career touchdown passes.
  • WR Justin Gage (199 career receptions for 2,951 yards) needs one catch to reach 200 career receptions, and he needs 49 receiving yards to reach 3,000 career receiving yards.
  • RB Chris Johnson will attempt to record the 23rd 100-yard rushing game of his career and seventh of 2010.
  • WR Randy Moss can become the first player in NFL history to catch a touchdown pass with three different teams in a single season.
  • WR Randy Moss (14,840 career receiving yards) needs 95 receiving yards to pass Tim Brown (14,934) for fourth in NFL history.

Titans-Colts Series History

This week the Titans are attempting to end a three-game losing streak to the Indianapolis Colts. From 2006 to 2008, the Titans went on a run of three wins in four contests against the Colts, but starting with the 2008 regular season finale, the Colts have taken each game.

In 31 all-time meetings, the Colts lead the series 18-13.

In 2002, the first year the Titans and Colts met as opponents in the newly-formed AFC South, the Titans won both games on their way to claiming the first AFC South title. The Colts then won seven consecutive meetings, taking both games in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons and the first meeting in 2006. Indianapolis claimed the division crown every year from 2003-06, until the Titans re-acquired it in 2008.

In the final week of the 2008 regular season (December 28th), the Titans played at Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time. Both clubs deactivated several starters and pulled many others early in a game that bore no playoff implications. The Colts prevailed by a final score of 23-0, the first time the Titans were shut out since 1999 at Miami.

On October 11th, 2009, the Colts visited LP Field on Sunday Night Football and left with a 31-9 victory. Peyton Manning passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns in the Colts win, and Titans running back Chris Johnson was held to a season-low 34 rushing yards.

In the rematch on December 6th, 2009, the Titans carried a five-game winning streak into Indianapolis, but they were unable to overcome 270 passing yards by Manning and two rushing touchdowns by Joselph Addai. The Colts prevailed 27-17.

The Titans and Colts have met only once in the postseason. The Titans won by a final score of 19-16 in a Divisional Playoff game against the Colts on January 16th, 1999. Eddie George rushed for 162 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown run to help lead Tennessee during its run to Super Bowl XXXIV.

The teams first clashed in 1970 following the AFL-NFL merger. The then-Baltimore Colts defeated the then-Houston Oilers 24-20 during the Colts’ run to a Super Bowl V Championship.

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