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NFL

Colts defeat Titans 33-17, earn playoff spot

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Indianapolis Colts cornerback Chris Milton (28) celebrates after recovering a punt fumbled by the Tennessee Titans in the first half of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn.  (AP)

The Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 33-17 on Sunday night, earning their first playoff spot in four years.

Andrew Luck remained perfect against the Tennessee Titans, throwing 285 yards and three touchdowns, notching his 11th straight victory against the Titans. It is the most consecutive wins by a quarterback against one team since at least 1970.

The Titans (9-7) snapped a four-game winning streak with quarterback Marcus Mariota sidelined by neck and foot injuries.

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The Colts intercepted two of Blaine Gabbert's passes in the final 9:05 to finish off their 13th win in the last 15 games in the series. Marlon Mack ran for 119 yards and a TD for the Colts.

Meanwhile, the Colts’ win effectively squashed hopes for the Steelers, who would have gone to the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the AFC had the Colts-Titans game ended in a tie.

Adam Vinatieri kicked field goals of 53 and 25 yards but missed his final extra point. Derrick Henry finished with 93 yards.

Luck then bypassed a Tennessee defense that came in as the NFL's No. 2 scoring defense giving up just 18 points a game and sixth against the pass. He then drove the Colts 92 yards before hitting Dontrelle Inman with an 11-yard TD pass and finished off a 90-play drive that used up nearly 10 minutes with a 9-yard pass to Eric Ebron. That left the Colts up 14-0.

Titans linebacker Jayon Brown returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. After Adoree Jackson grabbed at a bouncing punt that put the Colts at the Tennessee 9, the Colts had a TD run by Mack erased by a holding penalty on center Evan Boehm. Two plays later, Brown stripped Mack of the ball and recovered it.

Ryan Succop kicked a 38-yard field goal that pulled Tennessee to 17-10 at halftime. Gabbert threw a 22-yard TD pass to Luke Stocker to pull the Titans to 24-17 late in the third quarter.

The Colts will face Houston next Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.