The Tennessee Titans will have revenge on their minds in Week 13 when they host the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. This is the second meeting between these teams, with the first coming in Week 5 when Indy topped Tennessee, 23-16.
Neither team will have their starting quarterback from that game, as the Colts lost Anthony Richardson to a season-ending injury in that contest and the Titans have since given the keys to the car to rookie Will Levis.
While Levis has certainly given hope, it hasn’t translated to much success for the Titans overall. Tennessee is 2-3 with Levis under center and the team remains in the cellar of the AFC South.
Meanwhile, the Colts are in the midst of an impressive season with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. Indy is riding a three-game winning streak and sits in second place in the division with a 6-5 mark.
Now, a look at the biggest questions for the Titans ahead of their Week 13 matchup against the Colts.
Can Will Levis put together a full 60 minutes?
Inconsistency is something to be expected from a rookie quarterback, and that’s exactly what we saw from Levis in Week 12 after he was sharp in the first half before struggling mightily in the second.
While we’re certainly not pushing the panic button here, it would be nice to see Levis put together a more complete game in Week 13, assuming he has the pass protection to do so.
Can Jaelyn Duncan and the O-line stack good games?
Duncan gave up three pressures but no sacks in his starting debut last week, and two of those pressures came relatively early on in the game before he really settled in down the stretch.
At the very least, Duncan earned himself another start, but he also took a step in the right direction in terms of proving he can be a long-term piece for this offensive line, no matter where it is.
Now, it’s all about stacking good games, something Duncan and the entire offensive line, which allowed just one sack last week, will have an opportunity to do on Sunday in Nashville.
Can Titans avoid getting run over again?
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor recently had thumb surgery that will likely force him to miss this week’s game, but his absence doesn’t mean Tennessee’s run defense is out of the woods just yet.
Indy still has Zack Moss, who torched the Titans for 165 yards and two touchdowns last time around. It goes without saying that cannot happen again.
While certainly not great, the Titans’ run defense has been better in recent weeks, so there’s hope we won’t see a repeat performance from Moss on Sunday.
Can Titans get to Gardner Minshew?
Tennessee’s defense lives and dies with the pass-rush, which the team desperately needs to dominate on a weekly basis in order to cover for a lackluster secondary.
While the Titans’ group upfront did tally 15 pressures in Week 5, the team finished with just one sack, which came against Anthony Richardson before he exited due to injury late in the second quarter.
Gardner Minshew wasn’t sacked once, allowing him to have his way with the Titans’ secondary. The veteran completed 11-of-14 passes for 155 yards in a little more than one half of play.
Stopping the run is all well and good after what we saw in the last game between these teams, but it won’t mean anything if Minshew is dicing up the secondary. Tennessee’s pass-rush will be vital in helping to avoid that.
Will Treylon Burks return?
Burks hasn’t suited up since Week 9 after suffering a concussion, his second in as many years. Even if he returns this week, it’s fair to expect nothing out of Burks, who has been bitten by the injury bug during his young career and hasn’t done much even when on the field.
#Titans HC Mike Vrabel: Hopeful for WR Treylon Burks, who is still working for concussion protocol, just like all players who work their way through protocol.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 27, 2023
Because of his struggles, the Titans cannot depend on Burks in 2024 when they evaluate wide receiver, a position that is currently among the team’s biggest needs for this coming offseason, along with left tackle.
I’m not sure Burks can do enough to change that over the final six games, but his return has the potential to give Levis another solid option behind DeAndre Hopkins, something this team hasn’t had in 2023.
Can Titans avoid self-inflicted wounds?
The Titans got away with their self-inflicted wounds last week, which came in the form of terrible penalties that helped the Carolina Panthers extend drives and ultimately score points.
The Colts are a much more formidable foe, and that means the margin for error is much slimmer, thus the kinds of penalties we saw last week, along with turnovers, desperately need to be avoided
