How did the Colts let a 13-0 lead slip away? A second-half chain reaction turns a win into a 26-20 loss to the Titans

Tennessee, which entered Week 6 without a win, rallied in a swing-heavy second half that featured turnovers, special-teams damage, a late defensive penalty, and a Colts offense unable to finish key drives.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The Indianapolis Colts entered halftime with a 13-0 advantage over a Tennessee Titans team that had not won a game, but they dropped a 26-20 decision at Lucas Oil Stadium after a second half in which, as the Colts described it, “everything that could go wrong” did.

The first major swing came immediately after the break: Jonathan Taylor lost a fumble on the Colts’ first play of the third quarter, and cornerback Sauce Gardner exited the game with a calf injury. Tennessee scored its first points of the half soon after, with Joey Slye converting a 29-yard field goal.

Indianapolis did not turn early opportunities into points. The Colts’ offense stalled, then faced another momentum problem when quarterback Daniel Jones threw an interception after first-and-10 from the Titans’ 24-yard line. The Colts later added a few key plays, but a touchdown drive from Tennessee, capped by a long Slye field goal, pulled the game within one.

Tennessee’s rally accelerated through special teams and short-field situations. After an offensive sequence that ended with a sack, the Titans got a 58-yard punt return to the Colts’ 28-yard line from Chimere Dike, and Cam Ward followed with a game-tying touchdown pass to Carnell Tate.

The most decisive breakdown for Indianapolis came with a punt blocked at the end of a stalled drive. Titans running back Julius Chestnut blocked Rigoberto Sanchez’s punt, and defensive end Oluwafemi Oladejo returned it for a go-ahead touchdown, putting the Colts in a deficit they would not fully recover from.

After a Colts tying touchdown drive that covered 72 yards in eight plays, Tennessee reclaimed the lead with late-game precision: Cam Taylor-Britt was penalized for pass interference for a 36-yard swing, setting up another Slye field goal just before the two-minute warning.

Down the stretch, Indianapolis could not sustain enough offense. The Colts were stopped on a third-and-10 after Jones took a sack, and two Hail Mary attempts later fell incomplete as the Titans held on.

Colts players and coaches acknowledged the disconnect between how the game looked early and how it ended. Head coach Shane Steichen, quarterback Daniel Jones, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner all pointed to a need for rapid correction, including accountability for execution and the kind of consistency a home loss like this requires.

Why It Matters

A 13-0 halftime lead becoming a home loss reshaped Indianapolis’ Week 6 outlook and increased the urgency of fixing second-half execution problems.
For Tennessee, the comeback capped a rare shift from winless to a breakthrough result, altering the competitive temperature of the game and the late-game stakes.
The sequence of turnovers and special-teams damage (including a blocked punt touchdown) created a point-of-no-return swing that directly changed the game’s win/loss margin.
With the Colts facing boos after the loss, the response from the coaching staff and key players suggests a focus on immediate process and consistency moving forward.

Sources

Key Facts

The Colts lost to the Titans 26-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 6, falling to 2-4 on the 2026 season.
Indianapolis led 13-0 at halftime against Tennessee, which had been winless entering the game.
Jonathan Taylor lost a fumble on the Colts’ first play of the second half, and Sauce Gardner left the game with a calf injury.
Tennessee used a 58-yard punt return from Chimere Dike and a touchdown pass from Cam Ward to Carnell Tate to tie the game.
Julius Chestnut blocked a punt, and Oluwafemi Oladejo returned it for a go-ahead touchdown.
With 5:30 remaining, Cam Taylor-Britt drew a pass-interference penalty that helped set up a go-ahead field goal by Joey Slye.
The Colts’ final offensive sequences ended with a sack on third-and-10 and two incomplete Hail Mary attempts.