Titans Face 2009 AFC South Champs Next

Staff Report November 30, 2009

With five weeks remaining in the regular season, the Titans head to Indianapolis in Week 13 to challenge this season's AFC South Champion, the Colts.

The Colts (11-0# clinched the AFC South with their 35-27 win over Houston and the Jaguars loss to the 49ers Sunday. The team, riding a 20-game regular season winning streak, has now claimed the division title in six of the eight seasons since the AFC South's inception in 2002. Indianapolis also has a chance to tie the Patriots record of 21-straight regular season wins this Sunday when the Titans #5-6) visit Lucas Oil Stadium.

"That's our goal coming into training camp," safety Antoine Bethea said according to ESPN.com. "We wanted to win our division."

Indianapolis fell behind early in Sunday's game at Reliant Stadium, letting the Texans build a 17-0 lead. It was no cause for concern for Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Co. He and the Colts answered by outscoring Houston in the second half 28-7 which ended in a disappointing 35-27 loss for the Texans (5-6).

"We don't get overexcited certainly when things aren't going the way we want them to," Manning said. "We don't panic, we don't yell, we don't throw helmets. We just try to put the series behind us and move on to the next one. There was a lot of that [Sunday]."

The Colts scoring eruption in the second half wasn't solely a production of their potent offense. The defense chipped in as well when linebacker Clint Session intercepted a Texans quarterback Matt Schaub pass for a 26-yard score that widened the Colts lead to 28-20 in the fourth quarter.

"That's a good team over there, but we're the Colts," Session said. "We do things the right way and we try to get every win we can get."

Indianapolis became the first team in NFL history to have 11-plus wins in seven consecutive seasons, but they also claimed their fifth straight victory when trailing in the game's final quarter.

"If you doubt, you're done," Colts wideout Reggie Wayne said. "It's just like showing a bad poker face. If they see that, you're in trouble. Guys just stick with it. We knew the defense was going to pick it up. We know we have to take care of the offense and get some drives going."

The Titans, who are on a winning streak of their own having won five straight, take on the Colts Sunday at 12:00p central. The award-winning Titans Countdown airs at 11:00a central.