The Indianapolis Colts ended the regular season Sunday night by losing to the Tennessee Titans 16-10. \nThe Titans earned the sixth and final spot in the AFC playoffs with the win and a date with San Diego Chargers next weekend. \nWith the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs secured two weeks ago, many of the Colts starters, including quarterback Peyton Manning, saw limited action before heading to the bench.\nEven with the Colts starters sitting the second half, the Titans had to come from behind to secure their first playoff bid since 2003. \nA Tennessee fumble midway through the third quarter gave the Colts the opportunity for its first touchdown of the night. Backup quarterback Jim Sorgi found rookie wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe for a 3-yard touchdown pass to give the Colts a 10-7 lead.\nOn the following Titans possession, starting quarterback Vince Young was knocked out of the game with a quadriceps injury, forcing veteran back-up quarterback Kerry Collins into action.\nCollins led the Titans to three scoring drives capped off by field goals from kicker Rob Bironas.\n“We got a lot of things done, but we just didn’t get the score like we wanted it,” Colts head coach Tony Dungy said.\nAlthough the team took the loss, Dungy said it was good to get fringe players experience.\n“We got to see some guys in some situations that was good to see,” Dungy said. “They got a taste of what playoff type football is all about.”\nBefore exiting the game, two Colts players achieved individual accolades. Manning surpassed the 4,000 passing yard mark for the 8th time in his 10 seasons by going 14/16 for 95 yards. Most of Manning’s passes were to wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who took the NFL lead in receiving yards (1510) with 12 receptions and 87 yards. Wayne also recorded his first 100 reception season with 104 catches.\n “We had some things in mind,” Dungy said. “To get Reggie that 100 catches. That’s something that doesn’t happen often.”
Harrison out again
Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison missed his 11th game of the season against the Titans with a knee injury suffered against the Denver Broncos Sept. 30. Harrison last played Oct. 22 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.\n“We wanted to get Marvin going, but that just didn’t work out tonight,” Dungy said.\nHarrison participated in practice on Friday and was expected to see limited action against the Titans.\n“We decided it just wasn’t the time,” Dungy said about the decision to sit Harrison.\nDungy added he expected Harrison to play in the playoffs. Even though the eight-time Pro Bowl selection has not played recently, Dungy is not worried about rust being a factor in the playoffs.\n“It would be ideal to get a game in,” Dungy said. “But again, this is not a first or second year guy, this is a hall-of-famer. I think he’ll be fine.”
Last Regular Season Game at RCA Dome
The Colts held a ceremony at halftime to commemorate the final regular season game at the RCA Dome. The Colts will host a second round playoff game and possibly the AFC Championship game if the New England Patriots lose.\nOwner Jim Irsay spoke about the warm reception the Colts have had since arriving in 1983. He talked about the important role the team and the stadium have had in the growth of the city.\n“It’s (The RCA Dome) been a great place for our community,” Irsay said. “We really finished it off in style.”\nIrsay then inducted the fans, or the “12th man”, into the Colts Ring of Fame, thanking them for being loud and loyal to the Colts. He next made a crack at teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars who have accused the Colts of artificially pumping in crowd noise during games, something the franchise has denied.\n“Can you believe they disrespected you in that manner?” Irsay asked the crowd, who responded with an eruption of noise.
