After a heartbreaking defeat in Week 15, the Tennessee Titans will return to action in Week 16 when they host the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium.
Tennessee had several opportunities to beat the short-handed Houston Texans last week but simply couldn’t get it done, ultimately losing in overtime while wearing their Oilers throwbacks.
Making matters worse, rookie quarterback Will Levis was injured late in the game, leaving his status up in the air (more on that shortly).
Meanwhile, the Seahawks pulled off an upset over the Philadelphia Eagles despite having to start Drew Lock in place of an injured Geno Smith. The win kept Seattle in the thick of things in the NFC playoff race after losing four straight game going in.
Ahead of a matchup between two teams going in opposite directions right now, here’s a look at five things to know for Week 16.
Seahawks are favored
Despite being the home team, the Titans are 2.5-point underdogs to the Seahawks, with the over/under sitting at 41.5, according to BetMGM.
The Titans are 6-8 against the spread and have hit the over in five of their 14 contests. Meanwhile, Seattle is 8-5-1 against the spread and has hit the over one more time than Tennessee has.
Head-to-head history
This will be the 19th meeting (including playoffs) between these two franchises, and the first since 2021.
Seattle owns a 10-8 record, but one of those losses came in the playoffs to the Houston Oilers in the 1987 playoffs. Tennessee has won three of the last four games versus Seattle, including each of the last two.
Ryan Tannehill might start
With Will Levis suffering what is reportedly a high-ankle sprain in Week 15, his status remains up in the air for this contest. If he can’t go, veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill will get the start.
Tannehill was Tennessee’s starter from 2019 through the beginning of this season but a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 6 paved the way for Levis to start and ultimately take his job.
Geno Smith expected back
After missing the last two games with a groin injury, Smith is on track to return in Week 16, head coach Pete Carroll said. And that was backed up by Smith returning to a full practice on Wednesday.
Titans can play spoiler
While the Titans have been eliminated from playoff contention already, the Seahawks are currently sitting in the No. 8 spot in the NFC and share the same record with the team two teams in front of them.
Ideally, the Titans lose every game the rest of the way and secure the highest draft pick possible, but we know head coach Mike Vrabel isn’t going to lay down and just play out the string.
This won’t be the last opportunity the Titans have to play spoiler, as their next two matchups after the Seahawks are against a pair of teams vying for the playoffs: the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
