The Indianapolis Colts will meet the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville for an AFC South showdown in Week 3. The Colts survived the Denver Broncos in Week 2, while the Titans fell to the Los Angeles Rams. Now, it's time for a battle between two AFC South teams going in two different directions. It's time to make some Colts vs. Titans bold predictions for this Week 3 battle.
Indianapolis currently has odds of -4.5 points to cover the spread, according to FanDuel. Oddsmakers believe they will have a good chance to win this game by at least five points.
Daniel Jones dominates the Titans
This will not be a bold prediction after a while. For now, it's still uncharted territory. Daniel Jones has been exceptional this season and has dominated his first two opponents. When he opened the season against the Miami Dolphins, he went 22 for 29 with 272 yards and one touchdown while rushing seven times for 26 yards and two scores. Then, Jones went 23 for 34 for 316 yards and one touchdown while rushing six times for two yards and a score against the Broncos.
Jones has seemingly revived his career, and things seem to be trending in the right direction. Now, he gets to face a divisional rival that has struggled early in the season. One big thing that Jones has going for him is an elite running back. Jonathan Taylor has looked good so far. In Week 1, he ran for 71 yards and had 27 receiving yards in a blowout win over the Fins. Then, he ran for 165 yards and had 50 receiving yards with a touchdown in a victory over the Broncos. Taylor has helped Jones thrive in the same manner that Saquon Barkley did during his good year with the Giants.
Jones has still done more than his fair share. He is utilizing his reads well and making crisp passes to his receivers. Additionally, he has yet to make a critical mistake that has cost his team. Jones has the potential to have a career game against a defense that has struggled to start the season.
Cam Ward turns the football over three times
On the flipside, things are not going so well for the quarterback on the other side. There are plenty of high expectations for Cam Ward. However, this does not seem to be where it starts. The Colts' defense has suffocated the first two quarterbacks they have faced, and they looked good doing it. Therefore, things are about to get bad for Ward.
Ward has not had the strongest start to his NFL career. When he made his debut against the Broncos, he went 12 for 28 with 112 yards with no scores and a fumble. Ward then went 19 for 33 with 175 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. Overall, it's been not so good for the young quarterback.
There is time to improve. Unfortunately, it likely will not happen against a defense that has forced four turnovers (three against Miami and one against Denver). This will be the game where the defense fully unleashes its potential and forces Ward to turn the football over three times. While there is a chance Ward can have a good career, he will endure a few awful games before it happens, and this could be one of them.
The Colts win by two scores
The Colts have not won by more than one score against the Titans in a game in Nashville since 2018. Significantly, Andrew Luck was the quarterback at the time when the Colts went into Nissan Stadium and dominated. However, assuming this game gets out of hand for the Titans, this Colts team is good enough to make it difficult for the Titans to catch up.
Taylor has been good this season, especially last week. Now, with Jones also playing at a high level, the chance of this game getting out of hand is higher than it was last season. When Anthony Richardson was the starting quarterback in July, the Titans were originally the favorite. But Jones has given the Colts new life, and could possibly run away with this if he and Taylor both have great games and the defense plays at a high level.
This series has generally been competitive, with 6 of 7 games having one-score finishes. Yet, this feels different. Although division games are a lot closer and competitive than others, the Colts seem to be on a different mission this season. Conversely, the Titans are still in heavy rebuilding. The signs are all there for this game to get away from Tennessee. If the Titans can't stop Jones or Taylor, it will be a long day for them and their fans.
