Here are the top takeaways from Sunday’s Indianapolis-Tennessee game, including the highest-graded players for each:
Indianapolis Colts
— Week 3 was another tough outing for QB Andrew Luck (-2.4). He struggled with accuracy all game, before turning it on a bit in the fourth quarter. When Luck was under pressure (39% of dropbacks), he completed only 3 of 9 passes for 66 yards and a terrible interception thrown off of his back foot while on the run.
-— Rookie DE Henry Anderson (+1.1) continued his strong start to the season with another above-average game. Anderson bull-rushed his way to five hurries and a QB hit, finishing with a +2.0 pass rush grade. He had a tougher time in the run game, though, finishing with one solo stop and a -1.1 run defense grade.
— The Colts offensive line struggled against a fairly strong Titans pass rush. LT Anthony Castonzo (-4.6) had a particularly rough outing, allowing two sacks and three hurries on the way to a team-worst -4.1 pass blocking grade. RG Hugh Thompson (-5.5) graded low as well, allowing two hurries and a QB hit, but also finished with a -1.8 run blocking grade. In total, the Colts offensive line allowed three sacks, three hits and 10 hurries.
Top Performers:
NT Zach Kerr (+3.8)
TE Coby Fleener (+3.8)
SS Dwight Lowery (+2.6)
RB Frank Gore (+2.5)
DE Kendall Langford (+2.5)
— After a tough game last week, rookie QB Marcus Mariota (+2.4) bounced back with a strong performance against the Colts defense. Aside from his poor interception to S Dwight Lowery (+2.6), Mariota looked very poised and accurate against a good Colts pass rush. Mariota was under pressure on 34% of his dropbacks but managed to go 7 of 13 for 104 yards. His intermediate game was fantastic, as he went 7 of 12 for 130 yards and a touchdown on passes thrown 10-19 yards downfield.
— DE Jurrell Casey (+7.5) was all over the field for the Titans defense. He was nearly unblockable for the Colts offensive line, generating a sack, a QB hit and four hurries. His +5.4 pass rush grade was the highest mark for either team.
— The Titans struggled to run the ball against the Colts defense, managing to gain only 88 yards on 27 attempts. It was a tough day for rookie RT Jeremiah Poutasi (-2.2) who finished with a team-worst -3.6 run block grade. He had a hard time sealing off the edge, and the Titans gained only 20 yards on 11 carries when running either inside or outside of his block.
Top Performers:
DE Jurrell Casey (+7.5)
DE Karl Klug (+3.5)
QB Marcus Mariota (+2.4)
FB Jalston Fowler (+2.3)
OLB Brian Orakpo (+2.2)
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