Colts
The Colts got back on a roll in Week 5 by steamrolling the Raiders, rebounding from a close loss the prior week to the Rams, which actually set the table for Indianapolis to rebound.
“In a weird way, it was a growth of confidence for us,” Colts LB Zaire Franklin said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “We looked at L.A. as a test for us, sort of a measuring stick. That’s a team with a Hall of Famer at quarterback, playmakers all across, offensively, defensively. After a performance like that, it gave us the confidence that we’re that team to beat, we are the test for those guys, as long as we play to the standard that we are capable of. I think today we wanted to put that on tape—that we are a dominant team.”
The story of Indianapolis’ start is the resurgence of veteran QB Daniel Jones, who has dramatically exceeded all expectations. He threw multiple touchdowns for the first time this season in the 40-6 win over the Raiders and on the season is completing over 70 percent of his pass attempts.
“He’s the calm, steady person on offense,” Franklin said. “He takes care of the ball, he’s tough. Like I said, L.A. gave him confidence. He throws that pick then throws that tough ball in the red zone—things like that build confidence in your QB. He’s shown he’s got that dog mentality and is ready to go to war with us.”
Colts
Colts’ veteran CB Xavien Howard announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday following a troublesome start to the season. Howard wrote his goodbyes on social media, saying his “purpose has been fulfilled” with his playing career and now wants to focus on his family.
“My purpose has been fulfilled in this sport, but my kids are more important to me than football. I’ve had a hell of a career, and even though it’s ending in a unique way, I’m cool with that because for once I’m putting my family first and I’m proud and excited about that decision.”
Howard struggled in Week 4’s loss to the Rams, but Colts HC Shane Steichen didn’t close the door on the veteran cornerback staying in the lineup before the cornerback announced his departure.
“As the head coach, obviously, I have final decision on all those things and we have those conversations throughout the week,” Steichen said. “Looking back, too, with Xavien, those were two elite receivers [Nacua and Davante Adams] that we were going up against last week. So, again, we’ll go through the process this week and evaluate everything like we do every week.”
Titans
Titans QB Cam Ward made headlines following their 26-0 shutout loss to the Texans in Week 4, saying, “We ass.” Tennessee HC Brian Callahan thinks Ward is still maturing as a quarterback.
“He’s still a really — he’s a young player,” Callahan said, via AtoZ Sports Nashville. “You know, he’s the number one overall pick. He’s the face of the franchise, if you will. He’s got high expectations for himself. We have high expectations around him, and we all want to meet those, and his ability to be in that spotlight in that moment I think is a growing process for him. I think he’s growing up. I think he’s starting to understand the weight of his words, what those things mean, when he speaks and everyone’s listening and watching. And even though he says — you know, he follows up the commentary with a lot of the right things, it’s the one-liner that gets taken. And, you know, he’s learning how to deal with you guys and how to understand how to have those conversations and still maintain the image that he wants to maintain as it’s a starting quarterback. So growing up is not always easy, and I think there’s some things that he’s learning along the way, just like we all do.”
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