I put in my best performance today. Played close to flawless golf and got beat.At least

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Trying to climb to respectability, the Tennessee Titans are at a crucial moment with two games in five days -- both in the AFC South.First, they must end a woeful skid Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, the division rival that has tormented them the most in recent years before they can even worry about Jacksonville in a primetime game on Oct. 27.I think guys know whats at hand, and we know the opportunity that we have coming into the next two games, Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey said.We know the urgency that this organization expects out of us, and the mindset that we need going into the game to make sure we do take advantage of the opportunity.This is only the second time the Titans (3-3) have been at .500 this late in a season since 2011, churning through two coaches, two general managers and a handful of quarterbacks in that span.They got to this point by holding off the winless Browns 28-26 last week and are second in the division.The struggling Colts (2-4) are stuck in the AFC South cellar, having blown a 14-point lead late in regulation of a 26-23 overtime loss in Houston.Against the Titans, Indianapolis has won nine straight and 14 of the past 15.Andrew Luck has never lost to Tennessee, rallying the Colts to their first win, 35-33, last season after an 0-3 start. Luck insists past success will not lead to overconfidence.Theres absolutely zero bearing on what happened the previous year, and even within a season, Luck said. What happened last week, the first time we played the opponent, has zero bearing on the next one.Here are some things to watch from the Colts and Titans:RECORD CHASE: At age 43, the NFLs oldest player is kicking at an uncanny rate. Adam Vinatieri is one of only two players in league history to make more than 40 consecutive field goals and can break Mike Vanderjagts NFL record (42) with two more field goals at Tennessee, a team he has been almost flawless against. Since 2008, Vinatieri is 32 of 34 on field goals against the Titans.RARE COMPANY: Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota ranks second only to Detroits Matthew Stafford (119.3) for passer rating inside an opponents 20-yard line since the start of the 2015 season with a 113.8 rating and 22 touchdowns with no interceptions. Luck ranks fourth (109.3) with 18 TD passes and one interception. Mariota also has thrown at least three TD passes in six of his first 18 starts, the fifth quarterback in NFL history to do that. He can join Kurt Warner, Dan Marino and Daunte Culpepper as the only quarterbacks to do that in their first 19 games with three more TDs on Sunday.RECEIVER TROUBLE: Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton has continued playing despite being hobbled by a knee. His teammates havent been as fortunate. No. 2 receiver Donte Moncrief hasnt played since Week 2 because of a fractured shoulder blade. No. 3 receiver Phillip Dorsett couldnt finish last weeks game because of a hamstring injury and No. 4 receiver Quan Bray (ankle) went on injured reserve Tuesday. Starting tight end Dwayne Allen (ankle) also could miss this weeks game. The injuries forced Indy to make a flurry of roster moves Tuesday.TRIPLE THREAT: DeMarco Murray ranks second in the NFL with 698 yards from scrimmage, helping the Titans rank third in the league in averaging 146.7 yards rushing per game. Mariota has run for at least 60 yards in each of his past two games, and rookie Derrick Henry is averaging 4.4 yards per carry off the bench.Its triple-option football, if you will, Colts coach Chuck Pagano said.SACK TIME: The Titans have had six sacks in consecutive games for the first time since 2010. Luck has been sacked a league-high 23 times, and linebacker Brian Orakpo already has matched his sack total for all of last season with seven. If Orakpo adds another Sunday, he would be the first Tennessee player with a sack in six straight games since Jevon Kearse in 2003.---AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker Cheap Vans SK8 . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Vans Old Skool Black Sale . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. http://www.vanssalestore.com/ . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Vans Slip On Sale . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Vans Shoes Sale . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. TROON, Scotland -- Now, Phil Mickelson knows how Jack Nicklaus felt that day at Turnberry.Sometimes, youre just not good enough. Even when you play your best.Mickelson turned in what would normally go down as one of the greatest closing rounds in major championship history -- a bogey-free, 6-under 65 at Royal Troon.Lefty was two shots better than anyone else in the field.Except for one.Henrik Stenson, in an epic match with Mickelson that rivaled the Duel in the Sun at Turnberry in 1977, made 10 birdies -- 10! -- on the way to a 63 that gave the Swede the first major title of his career and the lowest score in the history of the major championships.Mickelson could only shake his head -- hell probably be doing that a lot in the days to come -- as he pondered how Stenson snatched this one away.Its probably the best Ive played and not won, Mickelson said, trying to figure out how a 17-under 267 finished three shots behind Stenson. Thats probably why its disappointing in that I dont have a point where I can look back and say, `I should have done that or `Had I only done this. I played a bogey-free round of 65 on the final round of a major. Usually thats good enough to do it. And I got beat. I got beat by 10 birdies.When the final group stepped to the first tee, the sun broke through the clouds for the first time in three days. That was fitting, as it rekindled memories of a sun-splashed day 39 years ago at another course in the British Open rotation, the one just 25 miles down the Scottish coastline.In a shot-for-shot showdown between two of the games greatest players, Tom Watsons 65 was just good enough to beat Nicklaus 66. The next-closest finisher was 10 strokes behind.It certainly crossed my mind a little bit out there today, that match when Jack and Tom went head to head there in `77, Mickelson said. I know that I wanted to be more of Tom in this case than Jack, but I understand how it feels. Its bittersweet.This one followed much the same script. Stenson began the day with a one-stroke lead, a deficit Mickelson erased with a birdie at the very first hole. They went back and forth from there, pouring in birdie after birdie -- and even an eagle from Lefty at No. 4.Their games were so in sync that, at one hole, they had to consult on who was away. The margin never was more than a single strokee until the 15th hole.dddddddddddd Thats where Stenson finally gained the upper hand, rolling in a 50-foot birdie putt from off the green.Mickelsons last gasp came at the par-5 16th, where a 30-foot eagle try brushed the left side of the cup and stopped, but didnt drop in. Stenson made a matching birdie, pulling off a nifty up-and-down from the thick grass left of the green.Stenson finished it off with another birdie at the final hole, giving him the lowest score in major championship history. The two players gave each other a hug, then walked off the green with their arms around each others shoulders, much as Nicklaus and Watson did on that day at Turnberry.Mickelson gave Stensons wife, Emma, a peck on the cheek, before fading away to let the champion have his moment.Next on the leaderboard was J.B. Holmes, a staggering 11 shots behind the runner-up.Its disappointing to come in second, but Im happy for Henrik, Mickelson said. Ive always thought that he is one of the best ball strikers in the game and that major championships are perfectly suited for him. I knew that he would ultimately come through and win. Im happy that he did. Im disappointed that it was at my expense.At 46, Mickelson knows that his window for winning a sixth major title is beginning to close. As it was, he wouldve been the second-oldest champion in Open history. No one older than 48 has won any major championship.You know, its not like I have decades left of opportunities to win majors, so each one means a lot to me, Mickelson said. I put in my best performance today. Played close to flawless golf and got beat.At least Lefty wont have long to lament his 11th runner-up finish in a major, which is second only to Nicklaus -- theres that name again -- with 19. The PGA Championship begins in less than two weeks at Baltusrol, where Mickelson won that title in 2005.We dont have a month to wait between majors is a good thing for me, Mickelson said. Im excited where my game is at and where its headed.But, he quickly added, Im disappointed that it wasnt enough today.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry. ' ' '