Today, the Titans have a chance to dispel another AFCS sweep by the other 3 AFC South teams. In the start of this “new era” of football Will Levis is officially benched, probably for the rest of the season, for Titans starting QB Mason Rudolph. The Titans are no doubt going to have to turn a new leaf come the offseason of 2025 and it most likely will not involve Will Levis as the incumbent starter. With 3 games left in the season there’s only two things the Titans are playing for: 1. Pride and 2. A higher draft pick. Which Titans team shows up against the Colts is certainly to be a mystery.

In the first matchup the Titans could do little to stop Joe Flacco and Will Levis was an absolute abomination (surprise surprise). This time both teams will have a different QB at command of the offense. Anthony Richardson’s play is some of the worst in the NFL. Richardson is ranked 35th in QB rating according to PFF. For comparison Levis is ranked last at 42 out of QBs that have played a minimum of 20% of all drop backs. Yeah, it’s that bad. In terms of completion percentage Richardson ranks last with 47%. Although he has been the victim of plenty of dropped balls he’s still struggling substantially to get the ball to his intended target. To make things even more difficult for Richardson Alec Pierce has been ruled out for the game. The Titans secondary should get plenty of chances to to get their hands on the ball come Sunday. Whether it be a Richardson INT or a Taylor fumble before the goaline (ha-ha) there should be opportunities for defensive success. Simmons and Sweat have done a great job for the most part stopping the run game. The Titans run defense is ranked 10th in the league according to PFF. The Colts are ranked 31st in overall run grade and the one time All-Pro Taylor is ranked 29th in league rush grade from PFF.

The Titans will face a much more improved defensive backfield since the first time they met. The Colts are ranked 10th in the league in coverage grade while averaging 224 yards passing per game. In addition, the Colts are giving up a nearly league worse 140 yards rushing per game. Coach Callahan will need to draw up a game plan for both Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears to get them going in the run game. As stated previously in game previews if the Titans can successfully move the ball running they should be in good position to win the game. However, most games always come down to the QB. This game should be no different. Both Levis and Rudolph are ranked 52nd and 57th respectively out of all QBs in the NFL from PFF’s metrics. That lines up pretty accurately with what we’ve seen on the field over the past 14 games. We’ll see if Rudolph can take the game in his hands and be able to lead the offense consistently down the field for all four quarters. In order for that to happen the Titans have to protect Rudolph. Deforest Buckner, Kwity Paye, and Laiutu Latu et al. are going to need to be stopped for the Titans to have any success on the day. These past few games the NPF and Latham have had their moments of lapses that have either resulted in sacks or costly false start penalties. To match the Colts speed at edge they’re going to need to have the snap count timing down pact. Latham struggles with speed rushers and NPF struggles against anyone wearing an opposing helmet. To keep the Colts pass rushers at bay look for Callahan to move the pocket and establish the run game to accentuate play action. Regardless, this will not be a walk in the park for Rudolph and the Titans, sans the Dolphins game the Titans have not won handily all year.

Prediction:

The Titans will have a tough game against the Colts today in which I expect when Richardson can’t move the ball well with his arm he’ll find ways to keep the chains moving with his legs. The Titans offense should be able to find success in the run game and that should be the key for today. However, as alluded to previously, the Titans will have to rely on Mason Rudolph and that is a task too tall for where the Titans are today. The Titans lose 23-17 to the Colts.