Will Levis – and takeaways

Quarterback Will Levis has thrown eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven games this season, and he’s been sacked 27 times. The second-year signal caller has also fumbled the ball four times this season. Nevertheless, the Texans know he can make some plays, according to safety Jalen Pitre.

“It’s important that we switch up the looks on him because if we just make it simple for him, he does have the arm strength and the talent to make those difficult throws,” Pitre said.

The Texans are in the midst of a turnover binge. Starting with the Week 6 win at New England, they’ve taken the ball away more times than they’ve turned it over in five of those six games, and they were even in the other. Three of those contests saw them go plus-3 in turnover differential, and in that span, they’re a combined plus-11.

In all, they’re tied for 5th in the NFL in turnover differential at plus-8.

The Titans are at the opposite end of the spectrum, as they’re tied with the Cowboys for the next-to-worst mark of minus-11 in 2024.

Interior Decimators

The Titans have a rugged defensive front, especially on their interior. Jeffery Simmons has played in a pair of Pro Bowls, and has tallied three sacks, eight quarterback hits and five tackles for loss in eight career games against Houston.

“They are really good,” Slowik said. “Their front five is probably for us, in totality, the best we have faced this year. Obviously, Simmons is a heck of a player. He shows up all over the place, he does everything, rushes inside, rushes outside. They have him drop sometimes and he is still a factor even when he is dropping. You always have to be aware of where Simmons is.”

Meanwhile, rookie nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat is a mountain of a man, standing 6-4 and weighing 366 pounds. He’s logged 31 tackles this season.

“Sweat has been doing a really good job for them,” Slowik said. “He jumps off the tape on the inside. He is a really, really big strong man, hard to move, makes a lot of plays in the backfield.”

As a defense, the Titans have allowed the fewest passing yards (1,646) in the NFL this season, and only five teams are giving up fewer than the 4.1 yards per carry they’ve allowed on the ground.