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Crown them: It'll take a disaster for Titans not to win AFC South now

Crown them: It'll take a disaster for Titans not to win AFC South now

INDIANAPOLIS – When Mike Vrabel talks with contempt about front-runners, he’s aiming at people who can only handle being in prime position, who don’t handle adversity well, who can’t or won’t battle.

His team fought hard for him, again, Sunday producing an improbable 34-31 overtime win over Indianapolis that produced an even more improbable AFC South lead.

Vrabel now leads a team full of frontrunners of another, more likable sort.

Bud Dupree and Denico Autry

© Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Eight games into the 2021 season, the 6-2 Titans are three games ahead of the Colts. With the tiebreaker that comes with a season sweep of the series, it’s effectively a four-game lead.

“That was playoff football,” Colts’ corner Kenny Moore said. “That’s the type of environment that we all strive to play for, play into. We knew what was at stake. We knew the AFC South – that was the game and we lost.”

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Scouting preview: Titans' pass rush should keep it going in Indy

Scouting preview: Titans' pass rush should keep it going in Indy

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Colts are a different team than they were in Week Three.

They will be amped up and will treat this game like a playoff game to win the division.

A win will pull them to one game back and a split of the series.

Kevin Byard

Kevin Byard/ pool photo, Donald Page, Tennessee Titans

Indianapolis quarterback Carson Wentz is finally healthy and left guard Quenton Nelson, first-round defensive end Kwity Paye and their best cornerback Xavier Rhodes are playing.

The Colts have utilized their best strength on offense with a running game that ranks ninth in the NFL and has multiple options to carry the ball.

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Never mind WR depth: A.J. Brown transforms the Titans' offense

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans’ depth at receiver was a nice training-camp story.

With A.J. Brown and Julio Jones missing the bulk of work with injuries, Ryan Tannehill had to throw to alternate targets. And Marcus Johnson, Chester Rogers and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine made progress and made plays.

A.J. Brown

Courtesy Tennessee Titans

But as the season has played out, it’s reminded us that they are supplementary players, nice in smaller roles but not players who offer the Titans the qualities of the guys ahead of them when they are missing.

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Three big factors for the Titans as they look towards Indy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Colts the Titans will find waiting for them in Indianapolis are a far different team than the one the Titans beat at Nissan Stadium on Sept. 26.

The rematch has huge stakes.

A win and Tennessee would effectively have a four-game lead on Indianapolis in the standings – a record that’s three games better plus a head-to-head sweep that would lift them in a tie-breaker.

Bud Dupree (R) and Jeffery Simmons

Pool photo/ Donald Page, Tennessee Titans 

A loss and it would only be a one-game lead with a season split.

Here are three big factors looking toward Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium:

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The prime factors in the Titans' much-improved pass rush

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans are not fully transformed, but at 5-2 coming off wins over Buffalo and Kansas City they sure are looking good.

And the pass rush was a big factor in the two big wins over prime AFC competition.

Denico Autry and Jeffery Simmons

Photo courtesy Tennessee Titans 

A year removed from a pitiful 19-sack performance, the Titans are re-energized chasing the quarterback, with 17 sacks in just seven games. And it's not just the sacks, it's more consistent pressure that affects quarterbacks.

Let’s look at the main ingredients in the turnaround.

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Scouting review: How wins in the trenches led to Titans' big win over K.C.

Scouting review: How wins in the trenches led to Titans' big win over K.C.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans are on a roll, taking out two of the best AFC teams and most importantly two of the best NFL offenses and quarterbacks.

Right out of the gate, why does a team that likes to play ahead like the Chiefs defer after winning a coin toss?

That decision was one of many bad coaching decisions for the Chiefs.MyCole Pruitt

Pool photo/ Donald Page, Tennessee Titans

Coaching was only one issue for Kansas City.

The Chiefs couldn’t score and they couldn’t stop the Titans from running, passing, rushing the passer and scoring.

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Broadcast: All the angles of the Titans' big win

Paul Kuharsky members chat.NASHVILLE, Tenn -- After the Titans' win over the Chiefs' I chatted with members from Nissan Stadium about all the important angles of the game.

You should have been there.

If you're a member you can rewatch the broadcast below.

If you're not, join up and you can get a text alert for these postgame conversations as well as our get-togethers during the week.

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Against Chiefs, Titans won the way they wanted to

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – That bad road loss to the Jets felt like years ago after the Titans stacked a smothering, 27-3 win over Kansas City on top of their Monday night victory over the Bills.

At 5-2, Tennessee can claim to be as good as anybody in the AFC.

Denico Autry

© George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

No one owns as impressive a pair… of wins as those two -- except perhaps the Chargers, who are on a bye this week but rattled off a trio of wins at Kansas City, against Oakland and against Cleveland before getting stomped at Baltimore.

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