Read More: Matt Hasselbeck (QB – TEN), Dwight Freeney (DE – IND), Jake Locker (QB – TEN), New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

The Tennesse Titans’ veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was questionable heading into Sunday’s game at the Indianapolis Colts. Hasselbeck left last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints with a calf injury, giving way to rookie quarterback Jake Locker.

The young Locker is far more athletic than Hasselbeck, creating a different type of play-making ability by adding a run threat. As a rookie though, Locker is inconsistent and with a playoff spot still in play, the Titans would rather rely on the steady hand of the veteran Hasselbeck on the road.

Well, it appears Hasselbeck has given the calf a test on Sunday morning and will indeed lineup behind center for the Titans in Lucas Oil Stadium. According to Adam Schefter, Hasselbeck will give it a go against the Colts.

Despite a calf injury, Titans QB Matthew Hasselbeck will start today vs. Indianapolis.

At least Dwight Freeney won’t have to chase a moving target when he’s coming off the edge for the Colts and looking to make a play on defense.

I get paid to watch the Indianapolis Colts. I don’t know how anyone else does it.

Don’t get me wrong. You have to admire Colts fans who stick by their team, which is now stuck at 0-13 after a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

Loyalty in sports often ranks as a low priority among professional athletes as they jump from team to team, but it’s a requirement for true fans. Your team is your team whether it’s good, bad or Colts ’11. You don’t abandon it for another bandwagon, no matter how frustrating; just ask Cubs fans.

So, kudos to Colts fans who have persevered from Collins to Painter to Orlovsky, a football version of Tinkers to Evers to No Chance.

Still, this latest Colts exercise was more torturous than ever, almost impossible to endure and a cinch to mentally dispose of five minutes later.

By my unofficial count, there were two moments worth watching:

1. Dwight Freeney’s 100th sack. The great defensive end devoured Joe Flacco like he was engaged in some sort of salute to classic Pac-Man. Freeney just swallowed him whole. For Freeney, who was shut out in his attempt to make Tom Brady his 100th victim, it was a week late but sweet nonetheless.

2. Reggie Wayne’s one-handed grab. The greatest catch of the season didn’t count since Dan Orlovsky’s pass was a sliver too wide. Wayne went up with one hand, his arm stretching like made of elastic, and pulled in the pass. He was out of bounds. And, in a way, that captured Wayne’s season: Supreme talent wasted.

Beyond that, the only suspense was whether the Colts would break their 1954 record for fewest offensive yards in a game. They tried their worst, but failed when a fourth-quarter Orlovsky completion to Wayne put them well past the 67 yards set 57 years ago. Maybe next week.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell likes to say things are never as good or as bad as they seem, although we haven’t had to contemplate any good illusion for a while. In that light, Orlovsky is not as good as he looked against the Patriots [team stats]’ bend-and-crack-and-sometimes-break defense nor as bad as he looked against the Ravens’ Super Bowl-worthy defense.

But, wow, was Orlovsky discombobulated by Baltimore. Toward the end, before he threw a touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme as time expired – a personal moment of semi-excitement as it cemented my predicted 24-10 final score – he seemed to be taking the snap and throwing a pass simultaneously. And then he’d still get hit by a minimum of two Ravens.

On the bright side, Anthony Castonzo now has some good film on the difference between being a consistently strong left tackle and being a human blocking dummy for Terrell Suggs. I’m sure it was not a fun learning experience, but should be a valuable one moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, and other good news, the Colts have three games left, including their final two home games in a five-day span. They play the Titans at home next Sunday, followed by the Texans on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football on Dec. 22. Then it’s off for Christmas. (Dear Santa, we’d like two lock-down corners and some luck. Or some Luck, depending on Peyton Manning’s health.)

The end finally arrives on Jan.1 on the road in Jacksonville. The Colts’ New Year officially begins Jan. 2.

Colts fans will keep watching for three more weeks. It’s become a test of devotion now. The reward remains the prospect of the most entertaining NFL Draft since 1998. Now you couldn’t pay me to miss that.

———

BALTIMORE – As long as Terrell Suggs continues to go harass
opposing quarterbacks, and if defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano
repeatedly finds the perfect blitzes to call, the Baltimore Ravens
will keep on winning without Ray Lewis.

Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles as part of an
overwhelming defensive performance by the Ravens, who kept the
Indianapolis Colts winless with a 24-10 victory Sunday.

Lewis, Baltimore’s standout middle linebacker and longtime
defensive leader, missed a fourth straight game with a right toe
injury. The Ravens (10-3) have won every one of those games.

“Right now I think we’re all just doing our part holding the
levee until the general gets back,” Suggs said. “That’s why I
honestly think we’re playing the way we are.”

Baltimore limited the hapless Colts to 167 yards – just 53
through three quarters. Were it not for a touchdown on the game’s
final play, Indianapolis would have been held without a TD for only
the second time since the 2003 season opener.

Baltimore didn’t recover any of the three fumbles that Suggs
forced, but he harassed Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky throughout
the afternoon.

“We shut them down early, and then they had to start passing the
ball,” Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said. “That’s when
Terrell Suggs went crazy.”

Suggs, a movie buff, described the action this way: “It’s chaos
out there. A lot is going on more than you see. It’s like ‘The
Matrix’ out there with a little bit of ‘Inception’. It’s a little
bit crazy.”

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Ray Rice ran for 103
yards and a score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and
improve to 7-0 at home. Baltimore is tied with Pittsburgh for the
lead in the AFC North, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker because
of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the
driver’s seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was
when Peyton Manning was healthy and at the top of his game. He has
yet to play this year because of a neck injury.

Orlovsky, the third Colts quarterback to start this season, went
17 for 37 for 136 yards and an interception. He was sacked four
times and hounded throughout the game by Suggs.

“He’s as good a pass rusher as I’ve played against,” Orlovsky
said of Suggs. “I can’t say anything bad about him as a football
player.”

Suggs attributed Baltimore’s success to the schemes set in place
by Pagano, in his first season as Baltimore’s defensive
coordinator. To emphasize the point, Suggs sarcastically made
Pagano out to be clueless.

“If anybody trying to hire a head coach, if they ask me I’m
going to tell them he (stinks),” Suggs said. “He’s a terrible coach
and his players don’t love him. He don’t know what he’s doing when
he’s calling a game.”

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would
indicate. Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third
quarter, and the Colts drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a
drive that ended with Orlovsky throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Jacob Tamme as time expired.

Indianapolis has three games left in the season. If the Colts
don’t win, they will join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL
team to go 0-16 in a season.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” Orlovsky said. “Whether
it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like to lose. There’s
nothing fun about losing.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said, “We need to find a way to get our
team better so we can get a victory. And not just one. We’re
running out of time.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for
good. After the Colts went three and out following the opening
kickoff, Lardarius Webb returned a punt 27 yards to the
Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play drive with an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended
with a 36-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10
advantage in yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt
and Flacco went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that ended
with a 6-yard touchdown run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when Joe
Lefeged returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then
completed a fourth-down pass to Dallas Clark, and Adam Vinatieri
kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
Flacco rolled to his right and was near the sideline when he threw
a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta in the middle of the end
zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

Notes: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. …
The Colts have only six INTs this season. … Flacco went over
3,000 yards passing and Rice eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. …
Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a Ravens
rookie. … Indy’s Dwight Freeney had two sacks to go over 100 for
his career.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

So too is Caldwell, whose job appears in jeopardy as the Colts try to avoid joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL team in history to finish 0-16.

Even though Indianapolis has been without injured quarterback Peyton Manning for the entire season, the Colts’ problems extend well beyond that.

“I really don’t focus on myself. … There’s no self-pity or anything of that nature,” Caldwell said. “Really, I’m concerned about the men who play for us, making sure these guys keep their heads up, keep fighting to the end. Those are the things that really matter.”

From that perspective, the Colts at least made their coach proud Sunday. Despite being harassed by a relentless Ravens defense all afternoon, Dan Orlovsky directed a late scoring drive, throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme on the game’s final play.

“The guys kept fighting,” Caldwell said. “But obviously, it’s little consolation in a game like this.”

Precisely. The Colts trailed 17-3 at halftime and had only 53 yards in offense through three quarters.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” said Dan Orlovsky, who was 17 for 37 for 136 yards. “Whether it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like to lose. There’s nothing fun about losing.”

Terrell Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles for the Ravens, who have won four straight without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis.

“They’re one of the best defenses in the league statistically in every category for a reason,” said Orlovsky, the third quarterback to start this season for Indianapolis. “Are they the best defense in the NFL? I don’t know. But I’d like to watch one better.”

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Ray Rice ran for 103 yards and a score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and improve to 7-0 at home.

Baltimore is tied with Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker because of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the driver’s seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was when Manning was healthy and at the top of his game.

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would indicate. Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third quarter, and the Colts drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a drive that ended with Orlovsky’s TD pass as time expired.

‘It just shows that you play as hard as you can until the end,” Colts center Jeff Saturday said. “You can’t give up. At least it shows we were still playing hard.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for good. After the Colts went three and out following the opening kickoff, Lardarius Webb returned a punt 27 yards to the Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended with a 36-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10 advantage in yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt and Flacco went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when Joe Lefeged returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then completed a fourth-down pass to Dallas Clark, and Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Flacco rolled to his right and was near the sideline when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta in the middle of the end zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

NOTES: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. … The Colts have only six INTs this season. … Flacco went over 3,000 yards passing and Rice eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. … Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a Ravens rookie. … Indy’s Dwight Freeney had two sacks to go over 100 for his career.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BALTIMORE (AP)—Ever the optimist, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell
remains confident there’s still a victory—or more—to be had in the weeks
ahead.

After the Colts fell to 0-13 with a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on
Sunday, the beleaguered coach said, “We just have to find a way to get our team
better so we can get a victory. And not just one. We need to stack a few on top
of each other. We’re running out of time.”

So too is Caldwell, whose job appears in jeopardy as the Colts try to avoid
joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL team in history to finish 0-16.

Even though Indianapolis has been without injured quarterback Peyton Manning
for the entire season, the Colts’ problems extend well beyond that.

“I really don’t focus on myself. … There’s no self-pity or anything of
that nature,” Caldwell said. “Really, I’m concerned about the men who play for
us, making sure these guys keep their heads up, keep fighting to the end. Those
are the things that really matter.”

From that perspective, the Colts at least made their coach proud Sunday.
Despite being harassed by a relentless Ravens defense all afternoon, Dan
Orlovsky directed a late scoring drive, throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Jacob Tamme on the game’s final play.

“The guys kept fighting,” Caldwell said. “But obviously, it’s little
consolation in a game like this.”

Precisely. The Colts trailed 17-3 at halftime and had only 53 yards in
offense through three quarters.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” said Dan Orlovsky, who was 17 for
37 for 136 yards. “Whether it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like
to lose. There’s nothing fun about losing.”

Terrell Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles for the Ravens, who
have won four straight without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis.

“They’re one of the best defenses in the league statistically in every
category for a reason,” said Orlovsky, the third quarterback to start this
season for Indianapolis. “Are they the best defense in the NFL? I don’t know.
But I’d like to watch one better.”

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Ray Rice ran for 103 yards and a
score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and improve to 7-0 at home.

Baltimore is tied with Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North, but the
Ravens hold the tiebreaker because of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the driver’s
seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was when
Manning was healthy and at the top of his game.

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would indicate.
Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third quarter, and the Colts
drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a drive that ended with Orlovsky’s TD
pass as time expired.

`It just shows that you play as hard as you can until the end,” Colts
center Jeff Saturday said. “You can’t give up. At least it shows we were still
playing hard.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for good. After
the Colts went three and out following the opening kickoff, Lardarius Webb
returned a punt 27 yards to the Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play
drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended with a
36-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10 advantage in
yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt and Flacco
went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown
run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when Joe Lefeged returned
the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then completed a fourth-down pass to
Dallas Clark, and Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the
half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Flacco rolled
to his right and was near the sideline when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to
Dennis Pitta in the middle of the end zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

NOTES: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. … The Colts have only six INTs
this season. … Flacco went over 3,000 yards passing and Rice eclipsed 1,000
yards rushing. … Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a
Ravens rookie. … Indy’s Dwight Freeney had two sacks to go over 100 for his
career.