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Titans use special teams plays and defense to rally past Colts 26-20 for 1st win of the season

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Marot, M. (2026, October 18). Titans use special teams plays and defense to rally past Colts 26-20 for 1st win of the season. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/titans-use-special-teams-plays-and-defense-to-rally-past-colts-26-20-for-1st-win-of-the-season/article_35eb211f-2910-5713-a16e-9c1107745e3c.html

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Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-18 · by Michael Marot

Quick Summary

The Tennessee Titans secured their first victory of the season by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 26-20, thanks to key special teams plays and a strong defensive performance. In the second half, the Titans used a blocked punt return for a touchdown and a fourth-quarter field goal from Joey Slye to overcome an early 13-point deficit. The game was marked by Tennessee’s defense making six sacks and three takeaways, turning the tide against Indianapolis despite their first-half dominance in total yards.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 18, 2026, the Tennessee Titans secured their first victory of the season with a 26-20 win against the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis. Despite starting quarterback Cam Ward's struggles (11 of 22 for 102 yards), the Titans' defense and special teams played key roles in their comeback victory. The game was marked by critical defensive plays, including six sacks and three turnovers. Notably, head coach Robert Saleh decided to bench cornerback Alontae Taylor, who had been signed in March to a $58 million contract, for unspecified reasons unrelated to injury. Tennessee's special teams scored two touchdowns from a 58-yard punt return and a blocked punt recovery, ultimately clinching the win with Joey Slye’s field goal late in the game. The Colts, despite a strong first half (232-64 edge in total yards), were hindered by Daniel Jones' two interceptions that turned into scoring opportunities for the Titans.

Written for “Titans Vs Colts Week 6 Matchup” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Titans Vs Colts Week 6 Matchup
Sports · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Titans vs. Colts Week 6 prediction, best bets: Miserable season to only get worse for Cam Ward Same event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
Robert Saleh benches $58 million Titans corner for Colts game Same event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Michael Marot
28 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Less than 24 hours after Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen told reporters he would “evaluate everything” in the wake of Sunday’s embarrassing loss at Jacksonville, a deep study session convinced him no personnel changes were needed.
2026-11-03 · assertive framing · Colts coach stays the course instead of making a QB switch or other changes after embarrassing loss
🔮 “They made some big-time plays, and we did everything we could to put ourselves in position to win,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · No. 4 Indiana forces overtime with a 60-yard FG then beats Minnesota 23-16
🔮 But it was the shot he took on an interception return with 11 seconds left in the half that may have prompted the change.
2026-10-31 · assertive framing · Grant Wilson replaces Josh Hoover as No. 4 Indiana struggles offensively for 4th straight week
🔮 That’s why he hasn’t requested a trade and why he’s trying to tune out all the speculation and rumors suggesting he could be the next Indy player dealt.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Colts RB Jonathan Taylor plans to stay the course in Indianapolis despite turbulent week
🔮 Coach Shane Steichen fielded questions about his job status, players were asked whether they believed the trades signaled Indy had given up on this season and everybody wondered what might happen next.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Colts ready to look ahead to Jaguars after 2 big trades hit hard and shake up the locker room
🔮 Flagg, last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, did not play in the second half after he injured his left shoulder when he was fouled by Aaron Nesmith on what looked like it would be a breakaway dunk.
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Mavericks lose Flagg to injury, and ruin Haliburton's home return with 121-105 win over Pacers
🔮 And while their stoic coach doesn’t get enamored with numbers, he understands it will be challenging for players to turn the page on last weekend’s 19-15 loss to then-No. 4 Ohio State.
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · No. 6 Hoosiers try to for rare rebound at Michigan after turning the page on 22-game winning streak
🔮 But if this season continues to unravel, he could be the next one out.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Colts face an uphill battle to save their season as problems mount and Chris Ballard is fired
🔮 After forcing a punt on Indy’s next possession, James Williams Sr. broke free and blocked Rigoberto Sanchez’s punt.
2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Titans use special teams plays and defense to rally past Colts 26-20 for 1st win of the season
🔮 He spent his first 9 1/2 NBA seasons playing in Los Angeles — for either the Lakers or Clippers — and emerged as a defensive stalwart who was willing to mix it up around the rim while setting hard screens.
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Ivica Zubac spent the summer trying to make himself a perfect fit in the Pacers fast-paced offense
Also by Michael Marot
Colts coach stays the course instead of making a QB switch or other changes after embarrassing loss
2026-11-02 · Toronto Star
No. 4 Indiana forces overtime with a 60-yard FG then beats Minnesota 23-16
2026-10-31 · Toronto Star
Grant Wilson replaces Josh Hoover as No. 4 Indiana struggles offensively for 4th straight week
2026-10-31 · Toronto Star
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor plans to stay the course in Indianapolis despite turbulent week
2026-10-29 · Toronto Star
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 28 articles by Michael Marot →

Topics

Colts INDIANAPOLIS Indy Tennessee Titans

Subjects

Colts ORG · 5× Titans ORG · 4× Indy ORG · 3× Tennessee GPE · 3× Slye PERSON · 2× Taylor PERSON · 2× INDIANAPOLIS GPE · 1× Joey Slye PERSON · 1× The Tennessee Titans ORG · 1× the Indianapolis Colts ORG · 1×

Narrative

Indy tied the score on Taylor’s 4-yard run with 5:32 to go, but a 36-yard pass interference penalty on Colts cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt helped the Titans move into field-goal position for Slye, who added a 44-yard field goal with 43 seconds left after the Colts turned the ball over on downs.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
🔮 After forcing a punt on Indy’s next possession, James Williams Sr. broke free and blocked Rigoberto Sanchez’s punt.
2026-10-18 · Toronto Star
Titans use special teams plays and defense to rally past Colts 26-20 for 1st win of the season · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 0 hedged)

The Tennessee Titans used a 58-yard punt return to set up their first touchdown Sunday, returned a blocked punt for another score and got a 49-yard field goal from Joey Slye with 2:03 left to earn their first win of the season, 26-20 over the Indianapolis Colts. asserted
Titans → use → Colts
Tennessee (1-5) ended a six-game losing streak in the series with a relentless defensive effort and two game-changing special teams plays that helped them overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit. asserted
them → end → deficit
Cam Ward was 11 of 22 for 102 yards, with one TD and one interception as Tennessee scored its most points all season. asserted
Tennessee → score → points
Tony Pollard rushed 19 times for 76 yards and rookie Carnell Tate caught had six catches for 70 yards and his first TD reception. asserted
Tate → rush → yards
The defense finished with six sacks and three takeaways. asserted
defense → finish → sacks
Indy (2-4) dominated the first half with a 232-64 edge in total yards, but only produced three scoring drives, settling twice for field goals. asserted
Indy → dominate → goals
The Colts have lost two in a row. asserted
Colts → lose → row
Daniel Jones was 22 of 42 for 269 yards with one TD and two more interceptions — both costing the Colts scoring chances. asserted
both → cost → chances
Jonathan Taylor ran 21 times for 94 yards and one score while catching two passes for 57 yards. asserted
Taylor → run → yards
Keenan Allen had eight catches for 82 yards. asserted
Allen → have → yards
Tennessee’s rally began with Jeffery Simmons forcing Taylor to fumble on the first play of the second half, which set up a 29-yard field goal. asserted
which → begin → goal
Slye added a 56-yarder with 3:21 to go in the third quarter. asserted
Slye → add → quarter
Then the Titans’ special teams changed the game. asserted
teams → change → game
Chimere Dike’s long punt return early in the fourth set up Ward’s 8-yard TD pass to Tate for the tying score with 13 minutes remaining. asserted
return → set → minutes
After forcing a punt on Indy’s next possession, James Williams Sr. broke free and blocked Rigoberto Sanchez’s punt. asserted
. → force → punt
Oluwafemi Oladejo scooped it up for a 14-yard return that gave the Titans a 20-13 lead. asserted
that → scoop → lead
Indy tied the score on Taylor’s 4-yard run with 5:32 to go, but a 36-yard pass interference penalty on Colts cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt helped the Titans move into field-goal position for Slye, who added a 44-yard field goal with 43 seconds left after the Colts turned the ball over on downs. asserted
Colts → tie → downs
Jones got one last chance but couldn’t connect on either desperation heave in the waning seconds. Up next Titans: Will try to win their first home game next Sunday against Cleveland. Colts: Begin a two-game road trip next Sunday at Minnesota. ___ asserted
Colts → get → Minnesota
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