Six Things to Watch for the Titans in Sunday’s Game at the Texans

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

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

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

Defense Needs to Be Even Better

While Levis has heated up of late, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has cooled down. 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 100-plus pass attempts. The Titans, who are ranked No.1 in the NFL in pass yards allowed (164.6), need to pressure Stroud up the middle, and on the edge. Slowing down Stroud and the Texans receivers, however, 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 scoring. Would you believe the Titans are the only team in the NFL to allow points (FG or TD) to every opponent red zone drive in 2024? But there’s plenty of room for improvement on defense. While the Titans are ranked 2^nd overall in total defense (yards), the defense is 26^th in scoring, allowing 26.3 points per game. The Titans are ranked 26^th in the NFL in sacks (20), and they have only seven takeaways (tied-2^nd fewest). 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, and it was his second straight week…