The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans enter their Week 15 matchup at Nissan Stadium on completely opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of momentum.
Tennessee is riding very high after pulling off what was the biggest upset of the 2023 NFL season over the Miami Dolphins. Meanwhile, the Texans are coming off their worst performance of the campaign, and they have some injury concerns with their best players.
This is also a big game for the Texans in terms of their playoff positioning. Houston currently sits in eighth place in the conference but has three teams with an identical 7-6 record breathing down their neck.
The Titans are still mathematically in it, but they’ll need a bigger miracle than they one they pulled off on Monday night in order to make the postseason.
Now, a look at the seven biggest questions the Titans are facing going into their Week 15 matchup against the Texans.
Can Titans win back-to-back games?
The Titans have yet to win back-to-back games this season, and Tennessee hasn’t accomplished that feat since Weeks 10 and 11 of last season.
If the Titans want to make a run at the playoffs, not only do they have to win back-to-back games, they also have to run the table. That seemingly impossible quest begins on Sunday afternoon.
Will C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins play?
The Texans have some major injury issues ahead of Week 15, as the statuses of both quarterback C.J. Stroud and wide receiver Nico Collins are up in the air after both exited the Week 14 game early.
Stroud is currently in the concussion protocol and Collins is dealing with a calf injury.
Losing Stroud, who is the runaway favorite to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, would be a massive blow to the Texans’ chances of winning this game and would force Houston to roll with the lackluster Davis Mills, who is an obvious downgrade.
Even if Stroud plays, Collins’ injury is one to watch, also, as the Texans are already without another standout rookie, receiver Tank Dell, who is out for the season.
Can Will Levis avoid a letdown?
There are few people on this planet riding higher than quarterback Will Levis after the historic comeback victory he helped the Titans pull off on Monday night.
Levis has rightly gotten major props for his performance, but that won’t last if he throws up a stinker in the next game and the Titans lose.
Not only do we want to see Levis avoid a letdown game, but it’ll also be great to see him stack two good games in a row, something he hasn’t really done since becoming the starter.
Houston does have two talented pass-rushers in Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard that the offensive line will have issues with, but if the unit can hold up in pass pro, the Texans’ pass defense, which ranks 26th, can be exploited.
Who starts at right guard?
The Titans deployed both Daniel Brunskill (22 snaps) and Calvin Throckmorton (49 snaps) at right guard in Week 14.
There was no announcement of an injury to Brunskill, which made it appear as though the veteran was benched, which was odd considering he has been arguably Tennessee’s best offensive lineman this season.
When asked about it on Tuesday, head coach Mike Vrabel said the team wanted a bigger body at right guard.
Mike Vrabel referred to Daniel Brunskill as "Brunnie" when asked about the rotation with Calvin Throckmorton. Vrabel said Brunskill battled but they wanted to see a bigger body in there so Throckmorton got some snaps. The RG position will be something to monitor going forward.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) December 12, 2023
This will no doubt be something to monitor as the week progresses.
Can the Titans get Treylon Burks more involved?
When it comes to the options a rookie quarterback has in the passing game, the more the merrier. That’s why it’s important for the Titans to get Burks going.
Tennessee tried to do that early on in Week 14, but to no avail, as Burks tallied just six yards on two touches. Levis did take a deep shot to him, but he was unable to track the ball well enough to bring it in, and he stumbled while trying to do so, per usual.
Every Treylon Burks route past the LOS from Week 12 #Cardio pic.twitter.com/noK4ahh70f
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) December 12, 2023
Perhaps there is simply no getting Burks going the way we’d like the Titans to, but they can’t stop trying. Levis needs more options and DeAndre Hopkins need a sidekick to take pressure off.
Can the defense stack good games?
The defense was sensational in Week 14, putting up its best showing of the 2023 campaign against what was easily its toughest matchup. The pass-rush was excellent and the secondary complemented that with solid coverage.
Making the performance even more impressive is the fact that the Titans didn’t have Jeffery Simmons or Kristian Fulton.
Obviously, things will be a lot easier on paper if the Texans don’t have Stroud and/or Collins, but the absence of either player doesn’t guarantee anything when it comes to Tennessee’s inconsistent defense.
Who returns punts?
One would assume cornerback Eric Garror will be removed from punt return duty after the blunder he committed in the Dolphins game, but we’ve seen this coaching staff stick with returners too long before (see: Kyle Philips).
In fact, we saw it in the aforementioned game, as Tennessee ran him out there again after the fumble, and Garror nearly muffed another punt.
Whether or not interim special teams coordinator Tom Quinn makes a change or not remains to be seen, but it’s something he must at least consider.
