Jim Caldwell and Jeff Fisher each told their teams the same thing on Monday: Peyton Manning won’t throw three or four interceptions a game forever and is due to break out.
At his news conference Caldwell was asked if history shows Manning won’t keep struggling.
"I don’t think there is any question about it,” he said. “You look at a couple of things here and there, but you also have to look at two 10-play drives, you have to look at a 15-play drive, you have to look at a drive in the latter part of the fourth quarter that takes us down the field to score to get us into overtime. There are a lot of good things going on there, too. Let’s not kid ourselves. We’ve got a few glitches that we have to get straightened out, but he’s still a very, very talented individual that plays well. We just have to support him and give him some more help.”
And Fisher’s got to get an exhausted, worn-down defense that’s lost time of possession by giant margins during a five-game losing streak ready to face a struggling quarterback who’s surely hell bent on getting things straightened out.
“The concern is that eventually that stops,” Fisher said of Manning’s difficult stretch. “You know with tipped balls and things like that, he’s got somebody in his face and he doesn’t see the underneath drop or the defender and the guy picks the ball off. Those are the things that happen to all quarterbacks.
“They’ve had injuries on offense, they’ve had injuries on defense, they’re shuffling running backs trying to keep the healthy running back in the there all the time and it’s hard on him. It’s hard.”
The teams have combined for eight consecutive losses.
But take note. The Colts' point production during three consecutive losses crushes what the Titans have scored during five straight defeats. Indy's averaged 25.7 points and Tennessee 12.8.