Six things the Titans should keep in mind heading into Sunday's game against the Colts

NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

Here's a look at six things to keep in mind leading up to the competition:

Titans quarterback Will Levis practiced all week after suffering a right shoulder injury in Week 4 against the Dolphins and will begin Sunday. The Titans are counting on him to calm down and settle down. Levis leads all players with nine giveaways in 2024 (6 INTs, 3 fumbles). He has the most INTs this season along with quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and Anthony Richardson (Colts). Levis threw for 224 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions in his first meeting with the Colts in 2023. He has zero interceptions in three of four career starts against the division.

Can the defense hold firm?

The Titans enter Week 6 ranked first in the NFL in total defense, allowing 243.8 yards per game. The unit was particularly good in pass defense, once again ranking first in the league by allowing just 124.0 yards per game. Through four games, the Titans have forced a punt on 50 percent of opposing drives, which is the most in the NFL. The Titans are ranked 15th^Th in the NFL in points allowed (22.5), but 7th^Th in points per permitted trip (1.6). What the Titans need to do better is force turnovers – they are 29^Th in the NFL in this category. The Colts said Friday that Richardson would be listed as questionable and that the decision would be made in the game.

Levis was sacked 15 times in the first four games of the season and didn't even make it to halftime in Week 4. He was sacked six times in last year's game against the Colts. And while the Titans only allowed one sack against the Dolphins, the team actually only threw three passes in the second half, so there were hardly any dropbacks. This week, the Titans brought in Leroy Watson IV to compete with Nicholas Petit-Frere at right tackle. Overall, the Titans need to be better up front and give their quarterback time to act.

One of the best developments in the game against Miami was the team's ability to control the football. The Titans had a season-high 142 rushing yards against the Dolphins. The team has rushed for more than 130 yards in three of four games this season. Tony Pollard leads the Titans with 246 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 2024. He is averaging 4.5 yards after contact/carry this season, which is the most of any running back with more than 20 carries, according to NextGenStats. Titans running back Tyjae Spears scored his first touchdown of the season in Miami and had 88 scrimmage yards (75 rush, 13 receiving yards) in the last meeting against Indianapolis. The Colts are allowing 157.0 yards per contest, which ranks 31st^st in the NFL.

I hate to remind everyone: Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse suffered a knee injury in last year's December meeting against the Colts after being hit by a blocked punt. It was a sign of things to come, as the Titans have allowed two blocked punts this year and another punt was overturned in last week's game. The Titans need to do better in punt protection and prevent this from becoming an issue. Titans kicker Nick Folk is coming off a five-field goal game – the team would love to see him kick more extra points.

The Titans are 1-3 and now lead the Colts by 2½ points after the line shifted throughout the week. It's a critical game for the Titans, who are still trying to dig themselves out of an early hole. Here's how the odds change based on Sunday's result: Since 1990, teams that start 2-3 have made the playoffs 23.0% of the time (65/283), 9.2% of the time (26/ 283) won the division and won a Super Bowl 0.4% (1/283) of the time. The playoff percentages for teams that started 1-4 are pretty dismal: 6.6% (11/167) made the playoffs, 4.8% (8/167) won the division, but 0.0% (0/167) then won the Super Bowl. A good sign: The Titans won eight games in a row after the bye week.