Well, there will be no 0-16 team this season. The Colts, at home at Lucas Oil Stadium, shocked the Tennessee Titans (7-7) with their 27-13 win, which marks their first win of the 2011 campaign.
The last time the Colts won was Jan. 2, when they coincidentally beat the Titans in Indianapolis.
Since losing franchise quarterback Peyton Manning for the season after having neck surgery, the Colts talked former Titan Kerry Collins out of retirement, immediately listing him as the team's starting quarterback. However, Collins struggled and was benched just a few weeks into the season.
Indianapolis then handed the starting reins to Curtis Painter, a former Purdue quarterback, who had held Manning's clipboard since arriving in the NFL. He would openly struggle after head coach Jim Caldwell named him the starter and was benched after horrendous starts against New Orleans, Atlanta and Jacksonville. Painter was benched in favor of Dan Orlovsky -- who was on the 2008 Lions 0-16 squad -- after their loss against the Carolina Panthers after throwing two key interceptions in the endzone.
Orlovsky, who had never won an NFL game, almost led the Colts to an amazing comeback against the Patriots two weeks ago after throwing for a career-high 353 yards. The Colts would lose the following week to the Ravens after Orlovsky was anything but spectacular.
However, entering Sunday, there was an aura in the air in Indianapolis and many fans felt that Sunday was their best opportunity to win a game this season. And they did, failing to become the second team in NFL history to go 0-16 in a season -- something current Colts linebacker Ernie Sims and Orlovsky were apart of.
The Colts jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on an Adam Vinatieri 47-yard field goal -- the first time they had led a game in the last nine weeks. The lead didn't last long, as Titans kicker Rob Bironas kicked two field goals in the second quarter to give the playoff-hopeful Titans a 6-3 lead at halftime.
Tennessee received the ball to start the second half with the Colts quickly forcing them to punt. Titans rookie Tommie Campbell got called on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play, giving the Colts the ball at the Titans' 43-yard line.
Matt Hasselbeck would get intercepted by Jacob Lacey a few minutes later, which was returned 32 yards for a touchdown, the second touchdown of Lacey's career. The Colts held a 17-6 lead and it looked like that they would win their first game in almost a year.
On the ensuing kickoff, Titans returner Marc Mariani tried to field the ball, only it didn't work out to his advantage -- the ball seemingly bounced off his foot and went out of bounds at the Titans' 1-yard line. The Colts forced another punt and running back Donald Brown broke off a 39-yard run that eventually set up a 40-yard field goal by Vinatieri, giving the Colts a 20-6 lead with less than thirteen minutes to play.
Later in the quarter, Hasselbeck was benched in favor of rookie Jake Locker, who saw a good amount of playing time against the Saints last week. Locker would drive the Titans down the field, throwing a 7-yard pass to Nate Washington, their only touchdown of the game with less than four minutes to go. They would only be down seven after the touchdown and it looked like the Titans could make a comeback.
However, on the Colts' following possession, Donald Brown would somehow break off an 80-yard touchdown run, when it seemed like he would suffer a multiple-yard loss. This gave the Colts a 27-13 lead that they would not relinquish and the game would finish with that same score.
Although throwing for just 82 yards in the win, Orlovsky led the Colts to their first win in fourteen games, dating back to last season. Brown, perhaps the game's hero, carried the ball 16 times for 161 yards and that key touchdown at the end of the game that put it away for the Colts.
However, the Titans have no one to blame, but themselves. They committed three costly turnovers in the game, including two interceptions by Hasselbeck -- one in the Colts' endzone by Pat Angerer -- and a fumble by tight end Jared Cook.
Former Seahawk Matt Hasselbeck completed 27-for-40 passes for 223 yards and those two costly interceptions. Chris Johnson acted like his 2011 self, running the ball 15 times for 55 yards. He also caught eight passes for 54 yards.
With the loss, it appears the Titans will not make the playoffs this season -- with the loss, the Steelers will officially make the playoffs, giving the AFC just one seed to fill.
If they had won their last three games, it would look like they would make a playoff appearance. But with their slip-up against Indianapolis, they will most likely be watching the 2011 playoffs from home, with the Houston Texans representing the AFC South in the playoffs.
