NASHVILLE – The Titans lost 20-17 to the Colts on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

Here's a look at six things that stood out from the contest:

Pollard's Success

I'll start off with running back Tony Pollard, because he was a bright spot for the Titans. Pollard ran the ball 17 times for 93 yards on Sunday, and he ripped off a 23-yard touchdown run to give the team the lead in the third quarter. Pollard picked up some tough yards, many times making something out of nothing. On his touchdown run, which came on 3rd and 19, Pollard made a number of Colts miss on the way to the end zone. But, the Titans failed to pick up a critical third-and-1 on a Pollard carry when they needed a response to Indy's early score in the fourth quarter, and it led to the Colts getting the ball back and building on their momentum, and taking the lead.

Too Many Penalties

The Titans picked up a penalty on special teams on the kickoff prior to their opening possession because of an illegal formation. It was perhaps a sign of things to come. Against the Colts, the Titans were penalized 11 times for 113 yards, and some came at inopportune times. Tackle Leroy Watson was flagged for three penalties, including two false starts and a hold. L'Jarius Sneed was called for a pass interference penalty, Jarvis Brownlee was flagged for illegal contact, and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day was called for a 15-yard roughing the QB penalty. Peter Skoronski also had a hold. Sure, some of the flags were questionable, and the refs clearly missed a DPI on a Colts player defending DeAndre Hopkins. But there's no doubt the Titans made too many mistakes. "We can't point fingers at the refs," quarterback Will Levis said. "I think everyone in the stadium had some frustration about the officiating," Levis said. "But it's never something we can blame. We can only look at what we can do better ourselves."

0-for-8 Targeting Calvin Ridley

Titans Coach Bian Callahan promised during the week to get receiver Calvin Ridley more involved, and there was an effort to make that happen – Levis targeted Ridley eight times on Sunday. Ridley didn't have a single catch on Sunday, however, as his only contribution on the stat sheet was a nine-yard run. There was frustration aplenty about it after the game. In five games this season, Ridley has just nine catches for 141 yards. "We can't win like that," Callahan said. "I'm sure he'll be the first one to tell you that that was disappointing. But he's one of our best players and he's … We look to him to try to make a play or two and we didn't get it done at the end of the game. We got to be better all the way around, offensively."

An Overall Quiet Day from Will Levis

Levis was back on the field a game after injuring his right shoulder against the Dolphins. Levis said he's not quite 100 percent, but good enough to play. On Sunday, the Titans weren't good enough on offense. Levis was 16-of-27 on the day, with 95 yards passing. Levis threw an interception on a deep ball intended for Ridley, and he's fortunate he wasn't picked off prior to that. After the game, Levis sounded a bit deflated regarding the lack of chemistry with Ridley, and the inconsistencies on offense. "We just have to keep working," Levis said. "I trust him. We've gotten so far from where we started, and I have a great feel for where he is going to be. He knows he can make a couple of those plays, and I know I can put the ball in a little better spot and make it easier on him. I have to do what I can do to get him better, and he just has to stay positive and trust that this relationship is going to continue to develop, because I know it will. And I know it has been aggravating and frustrating. It's been one of those things where it's like: 'When it is going to happen? When is it going to happen? And that is kind of the feel of the whole team right now. We thought this was a moment for us to kind of flip that switch and get it started, and obviously we are going to have to keep fighting. All we can do is keep working and trusting and loving each other."

Defensive Issues

Safety Amani Hooker set up the team's first score with an interception. But on Sunday, the Titans needed more game-changing plays. Sure, there were moments when the Titans pressured Colts quarterback Joe Flacco, but the team didn't sack him once and he had way too much time on some drop-backs. And, again, the Titans were called for too many penalties on defense, even if some folks didn't agree with some of the calls. The Titans also couldn't get off the field on third down enough, as the Colts converted 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) on the day. "We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot," defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. "We have to get off the field on third down. They converted, and we had penalties on third down. It's frustrating. It's frustrating as hell. … We didn't do enough."

Callahan's Decision

Callahan was asked about his decision to punt on the fourth and seven with 2:26 left, and the ball at their own 25. I'm not saying whether it was the right call or the wrong call, but this is one that certainly drew questions. The Titans were unable to keep the Colts from getting a first down, and that allowed them to hold the ball until the very end. When the Titans got the ball back, it was at their own three-yard-line with 12 seconds left. It was pretty much game over at that point. "We tried to turbo punt, get the ball back. If you get a stop, then you're going to have a little bit of time left to try to manage a field goal drive out of it. So that was the thought," Callahan said. "Fourth-and-seven would have been a tough conversion for us. And then we thought if we could—our defense would be able to put us in decent position to get the ball back and try to get into field goal the range. That was the rationale behind it."