The Colts didn’t play too well in any phase of the game yesterday.  Punter Pat McAfee had the first punt blocked of this career and Titans’ CB Jason McCourty recovered it in the end zone for a TD!  Curtis Painter was not too good yesterday.  He completed 26 of 49 passes for 250 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He did run the ball good though as he carried the ball 7 times for 79 yards (11.3 ypc).  Delone Carter was the back who ran the ball the best for the Colts yesterday with 9 carries for 46 yards (5.1 ypc).  Donald Brown pitched in with 10 carries for 33 yards (3.3 ypc) with 1 TD run for the Colts yesterday.  TE Dallas Clark led the way in the passing game for the Colts yesterday with 6 grabs for 77 yards.  WRs Pierre Garcon (7 rec, 66 yards), Reggie Wayne (5 rec, 61 yards) and Austin Collie (5 rec, 44 yards) also pitched in for the Colts in the passing game yesterday.  The Colts finished up with 158 yards rushing on 26 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 49 passes (53.1%) for 241 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:32.

The Colts’ D was solid against the run but awful against the passing game yesterday.  LB Pat Angerer (10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss) and safety David Caldwell (9 tackles) led the way for the Colts’ D in this game.  The Titans finished up with 96 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 33 passes (69.7%) for 215 yards.  The Colts are now a woeful 0-8 on the year.

The Indianapolis Colts hit rock bottom last weekend against the Saints, who pounded them 62-7!  The Titans got pasted last weekend at home by the Houston Texans.  They have lost their last two games by a combined score of 79-24!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  I have been saying for weeks that the Colts need to run the ball more in an effort to control the clock and shorten the game.  The Titans are giving up 124.5 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year, so it makes too much sense to give the ball to Joseph Addai, Delone Carter and Donald Brown in this game.  The Colts only have one legit offensive lineman starting this weekend in center Jeff Saturday, which is another reason why they should run the ball more this weekend.  If Curtis Painter has time to throw the ball, he should be able to get it down the field to Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon.  I think he’s going to be under duress a lot in this game, so don’t be surprised if he aims for TE Dallas Clark and WR Austin Collie to be more involved in the offense tomorrow.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Colts are giving up 150.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry this year, so it will be interesting to see if they can stop Chris Johnson, who only has 268 yards rushing this year and a lousy 2.9 yards per carry.  The Titans are going to make a big effort to get Johnson going tomorrow.  If Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis don’t get to Matt Hasselbeck, it could be a very long day for the Colts’ defense.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 31, COLTS 13

The Colts need more out of the WRs.  Pierre Garcon has played pretty well since Curtis Painter has taken over at QB.  Garcon has carught 30 passes for 503 yards (16.8 avg) so far this year with 4 TD grabs.  Reggie Wayne has really missed Peyton Manning this year.  He has caught 30 passes for 426 yards (14.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Colts need more from him.  Austin Collie has only caught 15 passes for 139 yards (9.3 avg) without a TD catch so far this year, and he’s a lot better than that.  The Colts need this trio to step up and play to their full abilities the rest of this year.

The Colts have placed 24-year old fullback Chris Gronkowski on I.R. (ending his season) due to an undisclosed injury.  He played in 7 games for the Colts this year but he didn’t touch the ball.  He did have 3 tackles though.  He has now played in 21 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 5 times for 17 yards (3.4 ypc).  Gronkowski also caught 7 passes for 35 yards (5.0 avg) with 1 TD grab so far in his career.  This is not too big of a loss for the Colts.

The Colts have placed 38-year old QB Kerry Collins on Injured Reserve (ending his season) due to a nasty concussion.  Collins played in 3 games for the Colts this year and he completed 48 of 98 passes (49%) for 481 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (65.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 2 times for -1 yard (-0.5 ypc) this year.  So the quarterbacking will fall to Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky the rest of the 2011 season.

The Colts have re-signed 27-year old G/C Jamey Richard.  Richard played in 14 games (4 starts) with the Colts last year.  He has now played in 39 games (11 starts) in his first three years with the Colts.  This was a good move for the Colts as Richard knows the system already and he could be needed right away due to Joe Reitz’ recent surgery.

The Colts have lost left guard Chris Reitz for the next few weeks.  He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this week.  Reitz played in 7 games (all starts) for the Colts so far this year.  This is a big blow to the Colts as they weren’t running the ball or protecting Curtis Painter too well before Reitz was injured.

The Indianapolis Colts got humiliated in front of the whole country last night on Sunday Night Football.  Hopefully, a lot of people were watching the World Series instead of this game.  Curtis Painter regressed to the player he was before this year as he completed 9 of 17 passes for 67 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (it was returned 42 yards for a TD by Saints’ CB Leigh Torrence.  Dan Orlovsky finished up this game at QB and he completed 3 of 5 passes for 35 yards.  Delone Carter led the way on the ground for the Colts last night with 10 carries for 89 yards (8.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Donald Brown pitched in with 47 yards rushing on 9 carries (5.2 ypc) last night.  WRs Reggie Wayne (3 rec, 36 yards) and Pierre Garcon (3 rec, 31 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Colts in this game.  The Colts finished up with 155 yards rushing on 23 carries (6.7 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 22 passes (54.5%) for 97 yards as they had possession of the ball for only 21:41.

The defense was awful last night for the Colts.  Safety Antoine Bethea led the way for the Colts in this game with 11 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  CB Kevin Thomas (10 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and LB Philip Wheeler (10 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) also pitched in for the Colts on D in this game.  The Saints finished up with 236 yards rushing on 38 carries (6.2 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 35 passes (88.6%) for 321 yards.  The Colts are now a very pathetic 0-7 on the season.

The Colts are 0-3 on the road this year where they have been outscored 85-41.  The Saints are 2-0 at home this year where they have outscored the Bears and Texans by a combined score of 70-46.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts really need to think about running the ball more, starting tomorrow night in New Orleans.  The Colts only average having the ball for 24:50 per game and that just won’t get it done.  Joseph Addai is back healthy for this game and he will be taking aim at a Saints’ D that is giving up 109.2 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  Delone Carter and Donald Brown should also get some carries tomorrow night.  The Saints are a heavy blitz team, so Curtis Painter is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly.  Painter likes throwing to Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne a lot, but he needs to get TE Dallas Clark and WR Austin Collie more involved in the offense…..starting tomorrow.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Colts better hope that DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis get to QB Drew Brees a few times or it’s going to be a long night for the D.  The Colts are giving up 255.8 yards passing per game and QBs have been having an easy time with them.  TE Jimmy Graham and RB Darren Sproles are the leading pass catchers this year for the Saints with 39 catches apiece, so the D will have to pay special attention to them.  Brees likes throwing to everyone though, so it’s almost impossible to double anyone.  The Saints’ running game is a work in progress as Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles share the workload.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, COLTS 17

24-year old middle linebacker Pat Angerer and 24-year old outside linebacker Kavell Conner have been really playing well this year for the Colts so far in 2011.  Angerer has played in all six games for the Colts so far this year and he has 73 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.  Conner has also played in all six games for the Colts so far this year and he has 58 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.  The Colts are allowing 136.7 yards rushing per game so far this year, but only 3.9 yards per carry.  The Colts need the kids to keep up the good work.