Tennessee Titans receiver Tajae Sharpe makes a touchdown catch while in the grasp of Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore during the final minutes of Sunday's game in Indianapolis. The Colts won 38-10 for their fourth straight victory this season, while the Titans lost for the fourth time in six games.INDIANAPOLIS - Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel grabbed the headset and adjusted to calling the defensive plays as quickly as he could Sunday.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck kept the Titans off balance the rest of the afternoon, improving to 10-0 all-time against his AFC South rivals in a 38-10 victory.
On a day Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota left the game with an injured right elbow, the biggest question coming out the afternoon concerned the health of Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who was taken to a nearby hospital during the first quarter.
"Dean's doing OK. They took him to the hospital, they evaluated him and they're going to keep him overnight for some tests," Vrabel said after the game. "Everything that I've heard as of now has been very positive."
Without Pees, the Titans' usually strong defense didn't look like itself. Tennessee (5-5) entered the game with the lowest-scoring defense in the NFL this season, the fewest touchdowns allowed and back-to-back second-half shutouts.
This time, Luck carved up the Titans, going 23-of-29 with 297 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and for the fifth straight game, he was not sacked. He has thrown at least three touchdown passes in seven straight games, tying Dan Marino for the third-longest streak in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (10 games) and Peyton Manning (eight) remain ahead of Luck.
"Andrew was just unbelievable," Colts coach Frank Reich said. "I mean every throw was with pinpoint accuracy."
How much Pees' absence affected the Titans wasn't immediately clear. But after forcing a punt on the first possession for Indianapolis, it was a struggle for them to even slow down the Colts (5-5).
Pees managed to walk out of the coaches' box without help, but the medical workers who had been called for assistance asked him to sit in a wheelchair to take him downstairs for further examination. The team issued a statement just before halftime saying Pees had been transported from Lucas Oil Stadium after he developed a "medical issue."
The 69-year-old Pees, who retired briefly after last season, was in everybody's thoughts.
"I want to start by wishing Dean Pees the best," Reich said. "I hope he's doing OK. So our thoughts and prayers are with him."
Luck began his postgame news conference with the same sentiment: "First off, I hope Dean Pees is all right. He's a pretty famous name in this league."
Vrabel declined to answer what prompted the call for emergency personnel, nor did he have an update about Mariota, who missed the Titans' second game of the season with a right elbow injury before returning in relief in the next game. Mariota finished 10-of-13 with 85 yards and one interception Sunday, leaving the game after he was sacked for the fourth time.
By then, the Colts already had a 1-yard touchdown run from Marlon Mack, a 22-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri, a 68-yard touchdown pass from Luck to T.Y. Hilton and an 18-yard scoring run from Jordan Wilkins as they led 24-0 with 2:29 remaining in the second quarter.
Tennessee backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert's 6-yard pass and a 15-yard penalty on Indianapolis safety George Odum set up the Titans for a 42-yard field goal just before halftime. Tennessee didn't score again until Gabbert threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tajae' Sharpe with 1:49 left in the game.
Gabbert finished 11-of-16 with 118 yards, the touchdown pass, one interception and one sack.
Now the looming question: Can Mariota return in time for the Titans' next game, a crucial Monday night showdown at AFC South leader Houston (7-3) on Nov. 26?
"I'll address the injuries tomorrow when I have some more information," a stressed Vrabel said after Sunday's game.
The defensive woes might be of greater concern than Mariota's status, though. The Titans struggled to pressure Luck and allowed Hilton to make nine catches for 155 yards, and they'll need to play much better - with or without Mariota and Pees - to regain their footing.
"They were ready to go. They played much better than we did. They coached much better than we did," Vrabel said of the Colts. "We have to drop this and lose it after we make the corrections, and get going."