The Indianapolis Colts have won a crucial divisional clash to cement their place at the top of the AFC South.
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In a tight affair against the Tennessee Titans, leaders Indianapolis were kept in the match thanks to the boot of kicker Adam Vinatieri's five field goal attempts before scoring their first touchdown of the day in the final quarter.
Opening half attempts of 47, 48, 45 and 37 yards from Vinatieri gave the Colts the advantage, with the Titans sole score coming from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
When Vinatieri had converted his first two efforts, Fitzpatrick rushed in for a single yard after Chris Johnson's 11 yard gain had come up just short.
With both sides struggling to put together big drives, Fitzpatrick and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck completed just over half of their passing attempts.
In the second half, on a fourth and goal at the Colts one, Fitzpatrick pump faked and found Johnson unmarked to put the away side back into the lead.
Luck and the Colts then went three and out to hand the Titans possession back, but the game's turning point came when Robert Mathis sacked Fitzpatrick, leading to a fumble recovered by the hosts.
From the resulting drive, Vinatieri scored on a 49-yard field goal effort, handing his side a one-point lead with time ticking down.
Fitzpatrick then had a pass intercepted, before a four-yard rush from Donald Brown sealed the game for Indianapolis with just two minutes to go.
The win puts some distance between the two teams and places the Colts in pole position to secure the division and reach the post-season.
Joe McPhee
