The Colts–Titans rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.
During the 1960s, both teams competed in separate Leagues and went by different names, with the Colts identified as the Baltimore Colts and the Titans recognized as the Houston Oilers. Following a merger, the Colts and Oilers were both assigned to the American Football Conference, leading to sporadic matchups. Following a series of conflicting stadium situations, both teams relocated. The Colts made their move to Indianapolis, while the Oilers found their new home in Nashville, Tennessee, where they underwent a name change and became the Tennessee Titans. Following their first meeting in the playoffs, both teams were placed in the newly established AFC South during the 2002 season as part of a league realignment, leading to the development of a divisional rivalry. Throughout the 2000s, the Titans and Colts competed for the AFC South title, with the Titans occasionally becoming the only team in the AFC South to claim the title from the Colts. However, in recent years, the Colts have largely dominated the rivalry, thanks in part to the exceptional quarterback play of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. Nevertheless, the 2020s have seen both teams regain competitiveness, as they vie for the divisional title and a spot in the playoffs.
This rivalry is the longest-standing in the AFC South, with both teams competing against each other over 20 years prior to the inception of the Jaguars and Texans. Although it gained prominence during the AFC South matchups in the 2000s, it has recently been characterized by the Colts' supremacy over the Titans, highlighted by Luck's 11–0 record against them.
The Colts lead the overall series, 41–22. The two teams have met once in the playoffs, with the Titans winning.
Background
The Indianapolis Colts were initially based in Baltimore, where they were referred to as the Baltimore Colts. They commenced their journey in the 1953 NFL season as part of the National Football League. Initially struggling to find success, the team experienced a turnaround with the addition of future Hall of Fame QB Johnny Unitas, winning three NFL championships in four appearances. However, they suffered a heartbreaking 16–7 to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, marking one of the most surprising upsets in NFL history.
The Tennessee Titans were originally known as the Houston Oilers and were established as a team based in Houston. They began in the 1960 AFL season as a charter member of the American Football League. They quickly achieved success by securing the first two AFL Championships. Nevertheless, their victories have been limited in the years that followed.
Due to being in separate leagues, the two teams couldn't compete against each other. However, a significant development occurred on June 8, 1966, when the American Football League and National Football League decided to merge. This merger led to the formation of a combined league, preserving the name and logo of the "National Football League," and was planned to kick off in the 1970 season, resulting in a single league with two conferences. The Baltimore Colts, originally in the Western Conference of the NFL, agreed to move conferences to become part of the American Football Conference (AFC) alongside the Oilers. However, the Colts were placed in the AFC East division, whereas the Oilers were placed in the AFC Central division.
History Pre-AFC South history The teams' first meeting took place on October 11, in Houston, a 24–20 Colts win in which Colts' quarterback Johnny Unitas connected with Roy Jefferson on the game-winning score with 46 seconds left.
On November 4, , the Oilers recorded their first win of the series, a 31–27 victory over the Colts in Baltimore. This ended an 18–game losing streak, which was the third longest losing streak in NFL history at the time.
The early 1980s saw the both teams struggle. The Colts had one of the worst defenses in NFL history in the 1981 season. In the shortened players' strike 1982 NFL season, the Colts went winless, finishing with a 0–8–1 record. Meanwhile, the Oilers endured a 17–game losing streak from 1982–1983. Due to their poor records, the Colts and Oilers held the top two picks in the 1983 NFL draft, with the Colts being in position to draft future hall–of–famer QB John Elway. However, Elway refused to play for the Colts, citing concerns about his potential success with the team. He later expressed his desire to play for a West Coast team, ruling out the Oilers. In the end, the Colts drafted but traded Elway to the Denver Broncos, who would lead them to five Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl championships. The Oilers faced a similar issue when RB Eric Dickerson, a future Hall–of–Famer whom they intended to draft, declined to play for them. Worried about his intentions, the Oilers traded their second–overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams, who subsequently selected Dickerson. Dickerson set multiple rushing records during his time with the Rams. Notably, contract disputes with the Rams led to his trade to the Colts in the 1987 season.
In the season finale held in Baltimore, the Colts defeated the Oilers, 20–10, win over the Oilers, marking yet another disappointing season for both teams. Although this game went unnoticed at the time, it gained significance later on as it marked the final game played by the Colts as a Baltimore team, as they moved to Indianapolis the following offseason.
Both teams continued to struggle through the mid-1980s. However, the teams met on November 29, with both teams in the playoff picture. Notably, Eric Dickerson, who was drafted by the Oilers and opted not to play for them, was the starting running back for the Colts following his trade from the Los Angeles Rams. Dickerson rushed for 136 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns in the first half as he contributed to a Colts dominating 51–27 win over the Oilers, their most points scored in a game against the Oilers/Titans franchise. With the result, both teams now had identical records of 6–5. Both teams returned to the playoffs after several-year absences. This marked the first time both teams qualified for the playoffs in the same season.
The two teams faced off in Week 1 of the season in Indianapolis, eager to build on the momentum they had gained by breaking their playoff droughts in the previous season. The teams were tied at 14–14 at halftime. In the 3rd quarter, Oilers quarterback Warren Moon suffered a shoulder injury, forcing backup QB Cody Carlson to take over for the remainder of the game. Despite the Colts being held scoreless for the rest of the game, the Oilers failed to capitalize on their opportunities, with kicker Tony Zendejas missing two field goals, including a 26–yard attempt with two minutes remaining in regulation. The game went into overtime, marking the first overtime game between the two teams. In overtime, Zendejas was able to redeem himself by kicking a 35–yard field goal, securing a 17–14 victory for the Oilers.
The Oilers defeated the Colts 24–10 during the season, in what turned out to be their final match-up in Houston. The season opener in Indianapolis saw the final matchup between the Colts and the Houston Oilers before their move to Tennessee. The Colts won 45–21. Rookie running back Marshall Faulk, a future hall of famer, made an impressive NFL debut with 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Without Warren Moon, the Oilers struggled significantly for the rest of the season, finishing with a losing record and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1986 season.
Similar to Robert Irsay, Bud Adams expressed dissatisfaction with the Astrodome, citing its outdated facilities and limited seating capacity in comparison to other NFL stadiums, and pushed for the construction of a new stadium. Upon realizing that a new stadium was unlikely, Adams shifted his focus to Nashville, a city that was experiencing growth. On November 16, 1995, Adams made the decision to move the Oilers to Nashville, Tennessee. Poor attendance in Houston following the announcement led Adams to relocate the Oilers to Tennessee for the season, one year earlier than originally planned.
The teams' first and, to date, only postseason meeting was in the 1999 AFC Divisional Round. This marked the first meeting between the Colts and now-Titans since their 1997 move to Tennessee and the first postseason game of Peyton Manning's career. Despite the Colts being the #2 seed and having home advantage, the Titans went on to a 19–16 win. The Titans were led by Eddie George, who had 26 carries for 162 yards including a 68-yard touchdown run. The Titans went on to play in Super Bowl XXXIV, which they lost to the St. Louis Rams.
2002–2011: Peyton Manning dominance For the season, the NFL realigned each conference into four divisions with four teams each. The Colts and Titans were placed in the newly formed AFC South, resulting in two meetings annually. Initially, the NFL presented Miami Dolphins' owner Wayne Huizenga with the choice to relocate to the more geographically appropriate AFC South rather than the Colts. However, Huizenga opted to preserve the traditional AFL rivalries within the AFC East. As a result, the Colts and Titans became divisional opponents, meeting twice annually – once in Indianapolis and once in Nashville.
The first season for the Colts and Titans as division rivals saw the two teams vying for the AFC south championship. The two teams met in Nashville on December 8, with the Colts sitting at 8–4 and the Titans at 7–5, having already defeated the Colts earlier in the year. This marked the teams' first meeting in Tennessee. The Titans won the game 27–17 to sweep the head-to-head series and take the lead in the division. Tennessee ultimately won the inaugural AFC South title, while Indianapolis earned a wild card spot that year.
The Colts went on to win the next seven meetings between and , as the Colts won the AFC South title each of these years. The winning streak was highlighted by a 35–3 Colts win in , their largest margin of victory over the Oilers/Titans.
The Titans ended the Colts' winning streak on December 3, 2006, as the Titans came back from a 14–0 deficit to win 20–17, as kicker Rob Bironas hit a 60-yard game-winning field goal with 12 seconds remaining. This remains the longest field goal in Oilers/Titans franchise history. However, the Colts went on to win Super Bowl XLI following the season.
The two teams met in the final game of the season in Indianapolis. The Colts had already clinched their fifth straight AFC South title and the #2 seed in the conference, while with the Titans needed a win to clinch the final wild card spot. The Titans won 16–10, as the Colts resting many of their key players. It was also their last matchup at the RCA Dome. Both teams later suffered defeats to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs.
The Titans ended the Colts' five-season run as AFC South champions in by winning the division with a dominant 13–3 season. On October 27, the Titans defeated the Colts 31–21 in Nashville to improve to 7–0 on the season, which they ultimately started 10–0. The Colts fell to 4–4 following this loss, the Colts went unbeaten the remainder of the season to finish 12–4, including a 23–0 win over Tennessee in the season's final game, to secure a 12–4 record and the AFC's #5 seed.
The Colts extended their dominance into the season, starting 13–0 and extending their regular season winning 23 games, an NFL record that still stands. The Colts rode their winning streak to a 13–3 finish including a season sweep of the Titans. The Colts went on to play in Super Bowl XLIV, which they lost to the New Orleans Saints.