INDIANAPOLIS – The reeling Tennessee Titans keep searching for answers.
But the past few games have mostly produced frustrating losses.
On Sunday, Andrew Luck threw for 393 yards and four more touchdowns, Reggie Wayne had his first 100-yard game of the season and the Titans’ continual miscues resulted in another embarrassing result: a 41-17 loss at Indianapolis.
“I’m angry,” Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed because we didn’t represent ourselves better than this.”
The Colts (2-2) did what they wanted and the Titans couldn’t stop them.
Tennessee (1-3), which hasn’t scored in the first quarter this season, quickly fell into a 17-0 deficit and backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst couldn’t rally them.
Behind the nine-year veteran who was making his fifth career start, this time in place of the injured Jake Locker, the offense sputtered. Tennessee finished with three turnovers, 261 total yards and 17:39 of possession time. Whitehurst was 12 of 23 for 177 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
“We’re just at a point right now where we have to make the plays,” Whisenhunt said. “We shot ourselves in the foot, even in the last couple of games we’ve done that. Against a team like Indianapolis, you’re not going to win the game if you do that type of stuff.”
Especially in Indianapolis where the Titans have lost seven straight. Or against a quarterback who is playing as well as Luck.
The Colts quarterback was 29 of 41 with four touchdowns and one interception.
Wayne had seven catches for 119 yards including a spectacular, spinning 28-yard TD catch down the sideline that gave Indy control midway through the third quarter.
Luck has thrown for 763 yards and eight touchdowns in the past two games.
Wayne turned his 200th game into a showcase. He passed Isaac Bruce for seventh on the NFL’s receptions list, Henry Ellard for 10th in yards receiving and extended his NFL record for consecutive games with three or more catches to 75. Wayne has 1,029 catches, 13,873 yards and 81 TDs.
Those weren’t the numbers Wayne cared about.
After starting this season with back-to-back losses, Indy has won twice by more than 20 points and has extended its league-high streak of consecutive wins over division opponents to nine.
“It was an opportunity for us to put our foot down in the division,” Wayne said. “We let everybody know the Colts — we’re pretty solid.”
Tennessee got off to a slow start.
The Titans didn’t reach the end zone until Whitehurst threw a 7-yard TD pass to Delanie Walker with 13 seconds left in the half to make it 20-10. Tennessee didn’t score again until Bishop Sankey’s 2-yard run with 35 seconds left in the third quarter, but that only cut the deficit to 34-17.
What’s wrong with a team that has lost three straight since an impressive season-opening win over Kansas City?
“I can’t even put my finger on that,” receiver Kendall Wright said. “… We have to put some wins up there and we have to stop all of the little things that’s killing us.”
Wright was responsible for one of those big miscues against Indy.
Two plays after the Colts recovered Wright’s fumble, Trent Richardson scored on a 1-yard TD run. Pat McAfee followed that with a surprise onside kick that Indy recovered. Eleven plays later, Luck hooked up with Dwayne Allen for a 7-yard TD pass and a 14-0 lead.
Tennessee got back into the game after converting Luck’s interception into Walker’s TD catch, but it was short-lived.
Wayne’s catch and Luck’s 2-yard TD pass to Coby Fleener with 4:02 left in the third gave Indy a 34-10 cushion.
“You want guys that can go out there and make plays,” Luck said. “To be able to spread the ball out and get everybody involved, that’s important — and it worked today.”
Notes: Indy receiver T.Y. Hilton had six receptions for 105 yards. …. Rookie Zach Mettenberger relieved Whitehurst and finished the game 2 of 5 for 17 yards with an interception. … Walker finished with five catches for 84 yards to lead the Titans. … Colts safety Mike Adams had two interceptions. … Indy kept the ball for 42:21, compared with 17:39 for the Titans. … Indy has scored 85 points in the past two games.
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