INDIANAPOLIS -- Quarterback Carson Wentz took the blame for the Colts' 34-31 loss to the Tennessee Titans after throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter and another in overtime.
"I feel like I beat us with those turnovers," Wentz said about his second and third interceptions of the season.
One of the reasons Wentz was benched last season in Philadelphia was his inability to protect the football. He had a career-high 15 interceptions in just 12 games last season. Interceptions had not been a problem for the quarterback during his first eight games with the Colts, who acquired him during the offseason. Wentz's only interception prior to Sunday was in Week 2 against the Rams. But Wentz's two interceptions Sunday directly led to Tennessee's final 10 points of the game.
The Colts had the ball at their 8-yard line with the score tied at 24-24 and less than 90 seconds remaining, when coach Frank Reich called a screen play for tight end Mo Alie-Cox. The play never developed, leaving Wentz in the end zone having to either take a safety, throw the ball into the ground or try to make something happen still.
Wentz chose the latter and attempted a left-handed pass that ended up being intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Titans cornerback Elijah Molden to give Tennessee a 31-24 lead.
"That was 100 percent my fault," Reich said. "It was a bad call. ... Didn't think they would be thinking that at that point in the game. I've been around too long to know you don't call a screen backed up in that situation."
After leading the Colts down the field in 64 seconds to tie the score and send the game into overtime, Wentz had an opportunity to redeem himself for the earlier interception. But on Indianapolis' second possession of the extra period, Wentz locked in on receiver Michael Pittman Jr., which made it easy for Titans safety Kevin Byard to intercept the pass to give Tennessee a short field to win the game.
Wentz is the first quarterback to throw an interception in the final two minutes of regulation and another in overtime since former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning did it on Dec. 11, 2005, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"I feel like I beat us with those turnovers," Wentz said. "As a competitor and my hardest critic, you feel that weight and you let your guys down even though I have the upmost confidence in our defense and they did a great job stopping them, but they were already in field goal range. But as a competitor, I try not to beat myself up too much over that, but I have to learn from it."
Sunday's loss put a significant damper on the Colts' bid to catch the Titans in the AFC South. The Colts trail the Titans by three games in the division and have lost the tiebreaker due to being swept by them this season.
"I understand it's a really big hole to come back and win the division," Reich said. "The odds are really stacked against us, but I'm just not wired to think like that."