Colts escape with victory over Titans

• Chiefs at Colts, 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS

NASHVILLE – Call it The Great Escape.

The Indianapolis Colts did what they could Sunday, keeping the door open, refusing to step on the necks of the Tennessee Titans. Penalties? Plenty. Dumb mistakes? A boatload. Bad football? Lots of that, too.

What could have been an enjoyable afternoon in the Music City went down the wire. It’s nothing new. Each of this team’s seven games this season have come down to the fourth quarter.

This time, Jack Doyle saved them.

Then T.Y. McGill finished.

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Jack. Freaking. Doyle.

T.Y. Freaking. McGill.

Doyle, the once-third string tight end, thrust into the starting role due to injuries, made the biggest catch of the Colts’ 2016 season Sunday, snaring a seven-yard Andrew Luck touchdown pass with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

On the Titans’ next play, McGill, a reserve defensive lineman, forced Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota into a fumble. Robert Mathis scooped it up and returned it 14 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.

Ballgame. Just like that. Spearheaded by two unlikely heroes.

Colts 34, Titans 26. That giant exhale you just heard? That was the Indianapolis sideline, after sweating out a game that was much closer than it should have been.

The Colts improve to 3-4 on the year and salvage hopes of making a late-season run at the AFC South crown.

A game Indianapolis was in firm control of early – the Colts led by as many as 11 in the first half – tightened in the second. The Colts have no one to blame but themselves.

It starts with The Drive That Will Live in Infamy.

The Colts were leading by a touchdown when the Titans marched 80 yards in 13 plays to tie it late in the third quarter.

First there was the interception from Colts’ cornerback Patrick Robinson, quickly negated by a mindless penalty by Colts inside linebacker Josh McNary. Then came conversions of third-and-15 and third-and-19. Then came a seven-yard touchdown to Delanie Walker on the Titans’ third third-down conversion of a 13-play, 75-yard drive that sucked 6:05 off the clock. It was fitting that McNary was burned on the scoring play.

The Titans took the lead with 6:02 left in the game when Ryan Succop connected from 48 yards.

But Luck, engineering an offense missing four critical pieces – left guard Jack Mewhort, wide receivers Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett, and tight end Dwayne Allen – marched his team down the field and found Doyle in the end zone for the game-winning points.

A third-and-goal from the 2-yard line became a third-and-goal from the 7 after right tackle Joe Reitz false-started. But Doyle saved him. It’s the 17th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime of Luck’s five-year career. He completed 27-of-39 for 353 yards and three touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton had 7 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown.

Sunday’s victory continued the Colts’ mastery of their division foe. The Titans are like their little brothers, the one they push around twice a year. Indianapolis has now won ten straight versus Tennessee, and Andrew Luck is a perfect 8-0 since he entered the league in 2012. For perspective, the Colts’ last loss to the Titans came with Curtis Painter under center.

A 33-yard field goal midway through the third quarter proved historic – it marked the 43rd straight for Adam Vinatieri, matching his age, but more significant, passing Mike Vanderjagt to set a new NFL record.

For a second consecutive week, the Colts were the first-half bullies. They dominated. The defense wasn’t awake for the Titans’ first drive but stiffened after that. Andrew Luck overcame two early drops by his receivers to torch the Tennessee defense for the first 30 minutes; his dime to T.Y. Hilton, a 37-yard touchdown, moved him past Bert Jones and into third-place all-time in Colts history in completions. He trails just two legends. Their names are Manning and Unitas.

Before that, Frank Gore found a hole in the end zone and caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Luck, marking the first opening-drive TD of the season for the Colts.

Staring at a nine-point hole, the Titans marched the football 80 yards in 11 plays and just 71 seconds. The drive was capped by Murray’s one-yard touchdown run, cutting Tennessee’s deficit from 17-6 to a much more manageable 17-13.

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.

Chiefs at Colts, 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS