The Tennessee Titans managed a huge upset victory over a division rival in the Houston Texans on Sunday, a game they were not expected to win. Heading into the matchup, the Texans were 7-4 and the Titans were 2-8. The Texans are building on last season’s success behind C.J. Stroud, and the Titans are in the beginning stages of a rebuild.
But no one told the Titans they weren’t supposed to win on Sunday, and they came out swinging. It was a hard-fought battle with a lot of back and forth, mistakes by both teams, and a couple of big plays, but what ultimately decided the game was a missed field goal and a quarterback mistake that led to a safety.
For the Titans, it was more than just a win, it was a much-needed morale boost that showed the players that what they are doing is working. What Brian Callahan and his staff have planned is working. It took longer than anticipated to see these results, but they’re getting there and there is hope around the organization.
As we enter Week 13, here’s a look at where the Titans place in a multitude of power rankings.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 29 (30)
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Per NFL Media, second-year QB Will Levis is the first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to post a passer rating of at least 105.0 over three games while also being sacked at least 20 times.
Barry Werner, List Wire: 27 (28)
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Having the Titans win a game at Houston was hard to figure. Will Levis throwing a pick-six in the win was not hard to figure. The Titans put together a good game and pick up a strong road victory.
NFL Nation, ESPN: 29 (30)
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The Titans’ pass defense tops in the league, allowing 169.6 yards per game despite having offseason additions Chidobe Awuzie and L’Jarius Sneed for only a combined eight games. The problem is the Titans’ 25th-ranked red zone defense, which gives up touchdowns 64.7% of the time. So, their FPI ranking is about right. The offense is among the worst in the league because of its inability to consistently score points, especially in the fourth quarter, where the Titans are averaging an NFL-worst 3.5 points. Special teams has been equally as abysmal by consistently giving up big plays in the return game.
Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network: 25 (NC)
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Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network:
The Tennessee Titans are not going to simply disappear into the offseason. They can have a major impact on the playoff race in the AFC, even without a ticket to the dance. Will Levis continues to show improvement, but unfortunately, it seems to be coming just as the defense has been declining.
The Titans’ schedule has been tough to this point, but it will get much easier in the next few weeks. Their results against the Bengals, Colts, and Texans could shape the AFC playoff picture, especially if they can beat Houston in Week 18.
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: 26 (29)
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Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News:
The Titans are seeing plenty of good from Will Levis with his best weapons — enough to evaluate whether they have found their franchise QB.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 28 (30)
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Will Levis threw a miserable pick 6 and we can’t ignore that, but overall it was another pretty good game for him (278 yards, 123.3 passer rating). He’s playing himself into a 2025 starting job for Tennessee.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 27 (31)
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Diante Lee, The Ringer: 27 (28)
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Quarterback Will Levis will probably never be a robot in the pocket, but his arm talent does open the door for this offense to be explosive from anywhere on the field. I’ve been waiting for the Titans’ coaching staff to leverage Levis’s strengths in the play-action passing game. Levis connected with his receivers on designed shot plays against Houston’s aggressive coverage schemes, and head coach Brian Callahan had his best day of play-calling, as the Titans tied a season high with five runs of 10-plus yards. The titans aren’t playing for much beyond their own glory, but now we know they’re capable of being a spoiler in the AFC South race.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: 30 (29)
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After being held to 20 or fewer points in their previous six outings since the bye, the Titans exploded with a gaudy 32 in the upset of the Texans in Houston. Even with two more Will Levis turnovers (including a pick-six) and eight sacks, the Titans had three pass plays of 30-plus yards and averaged a healthy enough 4.0 yards per run. Levis could have avoided at least three of those sacks, and he nearly choked the game away with his interception, staring down Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the play. His toughness isn’t in question; he has bounced back from nearly every tough hit this season. Levis hit Chig Okonkwo on the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter and finished with big numbers, but his sacks and turnovers continue to limit the expectations of this team, even after a gutsy effort Sunday.
