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Mariota returns to help Titans beat Colts

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota passed against the Indianapolis Colts in the first half.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. >> Marcus Mariota threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Taywan Taylor with 5:29 left, and the Tennessee Titans beat the Indianapolis Colts 36-22 tonight to snap an 11-game skid tied for the NFL’s longest active losing streak against one team.

Mariota didn’t move around much on a cool night after missing a game with a strained left hamstring, but still managed to throw for a season-high 306 yards. The Saint Louis alum completed each of his three passes on the drive that ended with Taylor’s tiebreaking score.

The Titans (3-3) also snapped a two-game skid with the win.

Jacoby Brissett tried to rally the Colts (2-4) to a second straight overtime. But Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard forced Brissett out of bounds shy of the first down marker on fourth-and-inches with 2:19 left. Coach Chuck Pagano lost his challenge.

Derrick Henry then clinched the win for Tennessee with a 72-yard TD run with 47 seconds left. Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, finished with a career-high 131 yards on 19 carries. DeMarco Murray also scored.

The Titans looked like the NFL’s worst scoring defense in the first half instead of Indianapolis, with Brissett directing the Colts to a 13-9 halftime lead. John Simon then intercepted Mariota’s first pass of the third quarter and returned it 26 yards for a TD.

But the Titans forced the Colts to go three-and-out on three of their first four drives of the second half, and Avery Williamson stripped tight end Jack Doyle of the ball after a catch.

NFL kicking record

Tennessee kicker Ryan Succop went 5-for-5 to break the NFL record for most consecutive successful field goals inside of 50 yards. He connected from 48, 32 and 40 yards in the first half and then hit from 23 and 48 yards in the third.

Succop began the day tied with Matt Bryant, who connected on 46 straight field goals inside 50 yards between 2013 and 2015 for the Atlanta Falcons.

Adam Vinatieri, the Colts’ accomplished kicker, got three field goals himself, including a 52-yarder. But he missed an extra point off the left upright.

Prime-time unity

The Colts’ team message got a prime-time audience with outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard wearing a black T-shirt with the message “We Will” over his jersey during the coin toss. On the back were the words “Stand For: Equality Justice Unity Respect Dialogue Opportunity.”

The Colts have been wearing these T-shirts during pregame warmups for the last couple of weeks.

A handful of Titans, including defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, raised a fist into the air after the national anthem ended. Wide receiver Rishard Matthews stayed off the field during the anthem for a third straight game.

Injuries

Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan strained an abdominal muscle. Colts cornerback Rashaan Melvin went to the sideline during an injury timeout in the second quarter but returned to the game. Colts running back Robert Turbin was escorted to the locker room after a catch and run for 9 yards with 2:30 left.

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