The Tennessee Titans are coming out of the bye and now find themselves with a crucial divisional matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7.
Indianapolis has won each of its last two games and actually saw their putrid offense rebound in Week 6, dropping 34 points on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With the win, the Colts are now setup to take over first place with a win over the Titans, but obviously that’s far easier said than done after Tennessee has dominated the Colts in recent years.
If the Titans can secure a victory, they’ll wrap up the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving them a huge leg-up on the Colts, who remain the biggest threat to the AFC South.
If the Colts win, any tiebreaker would go to divisional record, although tiebreakers are almost moot at this point with Indy having a tie.
The Titans have some big questions to answer going into this Week 7 showdown against Indy. Here’s a look at six of them.
Will Titans' injured players return?
The Titans were hoping to get back some injured players this week, and there’s some good news and bad news on that front.
Head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Monday that the players on injured reserve, a list that includes cornerback Elijah Molden, linebacker Chance Campbell and wide receiver Racey McMath, won’t be returning this week.
However, Vrabel did leave the door open for the possible returns of players who were ruled out last week, like outside linebacker Bud Dupree, safety Amani Hooker and right guard Nate Davis.
We didn’t get an update on Zach Cunningham, though.
Unfortunately, outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi, who has missed the last three games with a neck injury, was placed on IR on Monday, leaving Tennessee even shorter at outside linebacker than it already was.
Can offense put together a full 60 minutes?
While the Titans are currently enjoying a three-game winning streak, the offense has not yet taken that next step by playing a full 60 minutes.
Tennessee has scored just seven second-half points during their three-game win streak, which has put immense pressure on the defense, a unit that has answered the bell thus far.
But how long can the Titans depend on that? It’s a dangerous way to live in the NFL and we can’t proclaim this offense truly back until it plays a full 60 minutes and consistently puts points on the board in both halves.
The good news is the offense is scoring in the red zone at a 92.3 percent clip, the best mark in the NFL, but the bad news is the offense has trouble getting there in the first place, especially in the final two quarters.
Can Titans' defense keep Colts' passing attack in check?
Colts quarterback Matt Ryan is coming off his best game of 2022 in Week 6, when he threw for a season-high 389 yards and three touchdowns in a rare, 34-point offensive outburst from Indianapolis.
Ryan’s second-best game of the season came in Week 4 against the Titans when he threw for 356 yards and two scores to one pick, while also completing several big plays in the process.
Thankfully, the Titans were able to do just enough to secure the victory.
Tennessee’s secondary must improve in coverage and limit those chunk gains, but expecting that might be too much after what we’ve seen thus far.
The real difference-maker here will be the pass-rush getting to Ryan more. The Titans tallied three sacks and five QB hits last time out, which isn’t bad but certainly leaves room for improvement. Getting Dupree back will go a long way towards helping that cause.
Can Titans limit Colts' rushing attack again?
The Colts could be getting back two important pieces of their offense this week, as both Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines have a good shot to return after being ruled out in Week 6 (Taylor missed Week 5, also). If Taylor can’t go, the Colts will deploy Deon Jackson, who has been solid in his absence.
Whether it’s Taylor, Hines and/or Jackson, the Titans need a similar effort from their run defense like they had in Week 4, when they limited Taylor to just 42 rushing yards at 2.1 yards per tote.
Like the Titans, the Colts badly want to lean on the run and work off that. A failure to do so puts the game in Ryan’s hands, which can be a risky proposition at this stage in his career.
Who gets elevated for WR5?
Typically we wouldn’t ask this question with it being so far down the depth chart, but it’s a valid question to ask with the injuries the Titans have at the position, and with Cody Hollister serving as the No. 4 wideout.
Tennessee has just four receivers on its active roster but a pair on the practice squad. Josh Gordon is no longer an option, though, as he was replaced by C.J. Board, who was inked to the practice squad yesterday.
The other option is disappointing 2021 fourth-round pick Dez Fitzpatrick, who got the elevation last week. Look for either Board or Fitzpatrick to get the call this week, although Board is less likely since he just came… well, aboard.
Will Titans make a change at LT?
Head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about a potential change at left tackle after Dennis Daley was putrid in Week 5. While he gave a very generic answer, he didn’t put his weight behind Daley, either.
“I think we have to consider a lot of options throughout the roster,” Vrabel said, per Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press.
As far as options are concerned, perhaps the best idea is to move rookie Nicholas Petit-Frere to the left side and insert either Le’Raven Clark or Dillon Radunz at right tackle.
That might be the most unlikely scenario, though, as it’s very possible the Titans want to keep the rookie at right tackle for consistency sake.
If I had to guess, I’d put my money on Clark getting the nod at left tackle if the Titans do decide to make a change. Whoever it is, they can’t be much worse than Daley, so the Titans have that going for them.
