Recap: Titans Lose To Colts In A Heartbreaker

(Our apologies for the delay in getting the recap posted: Internet outages and real life got in the way. We'll also have a recap episode of MCM Radio for you in the next few days.)

How much of a head-scratcher was today's loss? Consider: Hasselbeck ends the game with a 110.7 passer rating, Chris Johnson gets 99 yards at a 4.7 YPC clip, we win the turnover battle, end regulation essentially split on time of possession and hold the opponent under 20 points.

Most weeks, that's the formula for a Titans win, but this wasn't most weeks.

No, this week all of those positive plays added up to a heartbreaking loss at home to a team that we should be able to handle any time, any where. Granted, we were victimized by a few particularly awful calls (most notably the absurd fumble-erasing debacle that should have given Bironas a chip shot FG attempt for the win), but this offense should have been productive enough to beat all 11 defenders and the zebras handily.

While the offense left points on the field, the defense couldn't get out of its own way when it really counted. Despite limiting the damage in the red zone for most of the day, Gray's unit got gashed for 171 yards on the ground, and it's not like the Colts are running Arian Foster and Ben Tate out there. The struggles to defend the run hit their zenith in overtime, when the Colts marched the length of the field without having to throw the ball more than twice and facing only one third down.

With this loss, we're now 0-2 in one of the worst divisions in football. The only reason we have a statistical glimpse at the postseason right now is because the rest of the conference is idling around .500, but I have a hard time seeing this team getting there so long as Jerry Gray is coaching the defense.