NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Joe Flacco has been around the NFL long enough to know the backup quarterback should always be ready to start.
The 39-year-old quarterback also understands to ignore reports about a teammate possibly going on injured reserve and look for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. when it matters most.
Flacco backpedaled to buy time, then hit Pittman in the end zone with Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed draped over him for the 10-yard touchdown pass with 7:27 left that lifted the Indianapolis Colts to a 20-17 win Sunday over Tennessee.
''He's got to be one of the toughest players I've played with," Flacco said of Pittman who practiced only Friday with a back injury that had the receiver questionable. ''I think part of him was probably trying to prove a point.''
Flacco now is 1-1 in his second straight start for the Colts (3-3) who got a much-needed split of back-to-back road games inside the AFC South with second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson scratched again with an injured right hip.
''You just got to stay on your toes and prepare, and that's kind of how it was, you know?'' Flacco said.
Richardson, the fourth overall pick out of Florida in 2023, has yet to play against Will Levis who was the 33rd selection overall in the same draft by Tennessee. The battered Colts with nine on injured reserve also had 2021 NFL rushing champ Jonathan Taylor out for a second straight game.
The Titans (1-4) now have lost three straight to their division rival. They will have to wait until November to try and win their first home game this season for first-year coach Brian Callahan, who said he still thinks his team is better than its record.