After years of the Indianapolis Colts dominating the Tennessee Titans, the Titans have flipped the script in recent years, winning each of the last five meetings, and six of the last seven.
And that fact isn’t lost on Colts players, as evidenced by defensive lineman DeForest Buckner’s comment during the week.
Buy Titans Tickets“We all know what’s at stake,” Buckner said, per JJ Stankevitz of Colts.com. “It’s a big week. The Titans have beaten us the past five encounters we’ve had with them. I think it’s time to break that streak.
“The guys got to get out there, we’ve got to start fast. We can’t start slow, especially against a division opponent. We just have to make sure we bring this one home for Lucas Oil.”
Keep scrolling to see what else the Colts have to say about the Titans going into their Week 5 divisional matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
HC Shane Steichen on Titans' defensive front
“They have a heck of a front,” Steichen said. “I mean, a really, really good front. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge for us, but one we’re looking forward to.”
Steichen on RB Derrick Henry
“He’s a heck of a runner – big-time runner, has explosive speed, big guy, hard to tackle,” Steichen said. “We’ve got to get population to the football and make sure our defense is flying around and swarm tackle because he is hard to bring down.”
Steichen on Titans' defense giving different looks
“Yeah, they do a good job. Obviously, I had a chance coaching in Philly to go against them last year. But they mix up their coverages. They have a heck of a front. I mean, a really, really good front. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge for us, but one we’re looking forward to.”
LB Zaire Franklin on Mike Vrabel, Titans' offense
“With Tennessee, knowing coach (Mike) Vrabel’s going to have them ready to play,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “Knowing they’re going to rally behind 22 (Derrick Henry). Knowing that (Ryan) Tannehill, regardless of what anybody says about him, he’s tough as nails and he’s a competitor and he’s going to go after it. It’s going to be a battle for four quarters.”
OC Jim Bob Cooter on Titans' defensive front
“The Titans present a really big challenge up front especially. They’re a really good defense overall. They’ve built it around a bunch of really good players up front that can impact the game in different ways whether it’s inside, whether it’s on the edge. It’s not all pass-rush stuff, some of those clips in the run game these guys are playing it really tough setting the edge, playing physical inside and getting the o-line knocked back. We’ve got a challenge in front of us here. This is a really good defense who is going to make it hard on us to run the ball, make it hard on us to sit in the pocket and protect. They’ve built a really nice group here and those guys are playing hard and playing good ball. It’s a challenge. It’s across the line. There are a lot of really good players on this Tennessee Titans’ defense. There’s some excellent players in there, but it’s not just going to be one guy we have to keep an eye on. It’s four, five or six of them. There are a bunch of guys that can really play ball – rushing the passer, stopping the run, all that stuff.”
