Titans Can Finish the Colts Monday

Even though the Titans have a three-game lead six games into the season, everyone is well aware that until the Colts are completely put away, you have to respect the AFC South's long-time bully. That's why this Monday's Titans-Colts game is the one game of the regular season the Titans need more than any other.

How crazy is it to think that the Colts' division title chances could be finished before we even reach the halfway point of the season? But that's what would happen with a Tennessee win. With a Titans' win this weekend, Indianapolis' chances of winning the AFC South are all but done. A Titans win would put Tennessee four games ahead with nine games to play. And with a head-to-head win, the best the Colts could do would be to split the head-to-head tiebreaker. Trying to make up four games (and then hope to win the division tiebreaker against a team that already would have a two-game edge) is too much to ask for any team, especially one with as many flaws as this year's Colts.But a Colts win this weekend would put Indianapolis two games back with nine games to play. Obviously that's still a significant lead, but if the Colts can hang around and keep that two-game margin until the final five weeks of the season, their schedule becomes very kind (with the Browns, Bengals and Lions before finishing up with the Jaguars and Titans). At that point, if Indianapolis steals one game before Week 17, then they would be looking at a season finale where the winner takes the AFC South crown (unless the Jags screw everything up).

Week	Titans Opponent	Colts Opponent
Week 9	Packers	Patriots
Week 10	Bears	Steelers
Week 11	Jaguars	Texans
Week 12	Jets	Chargers
Week 13	Lions	Browns
Week 14	Browns	Bengals
Week 15	Texans	Lions
Week 16	Steelers	Jaguars
Week 17	Colts	Titans

The Colts are clearly a flawed team. On defense they are trying to stuff the run with defensive tackles who shouldn't be starting. On offense, the offensive line has yet to jell. But if they can steal a win against the Titans this weekend, all of a sudden, they are still within striking distance of Tennessee. Which is why it's important that the Titans put the stake through the heart now. A loss this week with the Patriots and Steelers coming up in the next two games would leave the Colts legitimately wondering if they can even make the playoffs.

The Titans wouldn't have the division wrapped up by any means with a win this weekend--the Jaguars face the Browns, Bengals and Lions over the next three weeks, which means a three-game winning streak heading into their Titans rematch in Week 11 seems highly likely. But Monday's game is a chance to establish the Titans as the clear bullies of the division, and send Indianapolis into a tailspin from which it may not recover.