Six things to watch for the Titans in Sunday’s game at the Texans

On By Littum

NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Here’s a look at six things to watch for in the competition:

Will Levis returned to the lineup in Week 10 and has looked like a different quarterback over the last two weeks. Levis is averaging 235.0 yards per carry. game since his return, with a 103.2 rating, a 3-to-1 Pass TD-to-INT ratio and an average of 8.7 yards per carry. attempt. In his first five starts, Levis threw for 139.8 yards per carry. game with a 70.7 rating, a 5-to-7 Pass TD-to-INT ratio, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. attempt. Levis had a season-high 295 passing yards last week. Can Levis keep the positive momentum going against the Texans?

The defense must be even better

While Levis has heated up of late, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud has cooled off. Since Week 7, only Caleb Williams (72.2) and Cooper Rush (72.2) have posted a worse passer rating than Stroud (73.9) among QBs with over 100 pass attempts. The Titans, who are ranked No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards allowed (164.6), must push Stroud up the middle and on the edge. However, slowing down Stroud and the Texans receivers is only half the battle. Texans running back Joe Mixon has 764 yards on the season and 10 rushing TDs in just eight games. The Titans need to be better in the red zone to limit the scoring. Would you believe that the Titans are the only team in the NFL to give up points (FG or TD) to every opponent in the red zone in 2024? But there is plenty of room for improvement in defence. While the Titans are ranked 2ndn.d overall in total defense (yards), the defense is 26thth in scoring, which gives 26.3 points per match. The Titans are ranked 26thth in the NFL in sacks (20), and they have just seven takeaways (tied-2nd).n.d least). The Titans need to step it up even more on D.

Titans running back Tony Pollard has slowed down after a hot start. Pollard managed just 15 yards on nine carries last week against the Vikings, marking his second straight week with fewer than 10 carries and 50 rushing yards. The Titans need to get the game going again to take pressure off Levis and the offensive line. Pollard leads the Titans with 160 carries for 681 yards and three touchdowns. With Tyjae Spears still in concussion protocol, it looks like Pollard will have to shoulder the bulk of the load again.

Can the Titans protect the QB?

Levis has been sacked 27 times this season while playing behind an offensive line that really struggles on the right side. Nicholas Petit-Frere is expected to be back in the saddle at right tackle and will need to improve. Levis was sacked five times last week against the Vikings and has been harassed too often in his seven starts. The Texans rank third in the NFL in total defense and are in the top 10 in sacks per. opponent pass attempt. Defensive lineman Denico Autry, formerly of the Titans, will be one of the Texans coming after Levis.

Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has five touchdowns in the past six weeks. Since Week 6, when Westbrook-Ikhine recorded his first touchdown reception of the year against the Colts, he is tied with Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews for the third-most touchdown receptions in the NFL. Only Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase (seven) and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown (seven) has more than Westbrook-Ikhine in that span. The Titans would love to see NWI find the end zone again, but another positive development has also occurred: Calvin Ridley has 24 catches for 368 yards since Week 8, which is fifth-most in the NFL.

This category, like the Titans season, is on life support right now. The Titans are 2-8 and their playoff hopes are barely flickering. On Sunday, they are a 7 ½ point underdog against the Texans. Since 1990, teams that start 2-8 have never made the playoffs. The 97 teams that start 3-8 have also never made the playoffs. The Titans will need to start winning more games to have any kind of shot at postseason play, but with five AFC South games over the next seven weeks, that didn’t stop the players from at least discussing it in this week. While the Titans have not been eliminated from the playoffs, the focus should be on finding a way to win a game.