It equaled the longest pass play in Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans history.
In 1962, Willard Dewveall caught the (then) longest pass reception for a touchdown in professional football history, 98 yards, from Jacky Lee, against the San Diego Chargers. It is still the longest receiving touchdown in Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise history.
The defense didn’t rise after the big play, allowing the Vikings a touchdown that made it a 23-10 game.
The Tennessee Titans square off in a Sunday afternoon battle against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. Here are three reasons for concern.
The Tennessee Titans host the Minnesota Vikings at Nissan Stadium on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CST.
The Titans’ 2024 season has been rough. Not that anyone expected Brian Callahan to come in and take this team to the Super Bowl in his first season, but people expected a better showing than what we’ve seen so far. It’s not all bad, but there’s a lot of work to be done.
The Vikings, on the other hand, are 7-2 and sit in second place in the NFC North, right behind the Detroit Lions. Their biggest goal is to keep winning and hope the Lions lose or they make wild card weekend. In the toughest division in the NFL this season, the Vikings have their work cut out for them to make the postseason.
Those concerns don’t start for the Vikings this week, though. Up against a Titans team that isn’t playing like it can, the Vikings are heavy favorites this week. That’s certainly a cause for concern for the Titans, although not the only one. Let’s take a look at three causes for concern for the Titans heading into Week 11.
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union
Vikings boast the top run defense in the NFL
The Vikings typically have a strong defense year-to-year, but this year they hold the top spot in the league with their run defense. In 2024, the Vikings have allowed just 711 rushing yards, that’s an average of 3.8 yards per carry or 79 yards per game. They’ve allowed only two run plays over 20 yards and only one over 40 yards. This is as stout of a run defense as we’ve seen in a long time.
The concern here is that the Titans’ offense goes through Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears on the ground. That is simply not going to be effective against the Vikings, so Brian Callahan and Nick Holz better have a plan in place for when the run game fails.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
More defensive players sporting injuries
Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed has missed weeks with a quad injury, which was recently revealed to be a substantial bruise and a strain. He’s not happy and feels guilty that he’s not out there on the field, but he’s not alone. Injuries on the defensive side of the ball have been a problem all season. The concern this week is there are three new defenders with injuries: Arden Key has a back injury, Roger McCreary is dealing with a knee injury, and Justin Hardee has a groin injury.
We won’t know if they will carry an injury designation into the game until Friday, but that none of them practiced on Wednesday shows they all needed rest.
The severity of these injuries isn’t apparent yet, so all three of them may still play this week. Even so, the defense is already struggling with injuries and fatigue, so adding more isn’t helpful.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The offensive line is still a problem
Last week, Will Levis was sacked seven times. The Los Angeles Chargers rank fifth in sacks this season, and the Vikings are right behind them in the sixth spot. They’ve recorded 30 sacks this season, and the Titans’ offensive line simply isn’t going to fare well against the Vikings’ defensive front.
Leroy Watson IV and John Ojukwu will likely continue to rotate at right tackle, although Watson is nursing a back injury now, so who knows how much he will play. On the left side, rookie JC Latham has largely done his job well, but fatigue started to set in last week against the Chargers and could be seen in his play.
The Titans’ offensive line has allowed 28 sacks this season and seven of them happened last week. Brian Callahan and Nick Holz have to find a way to keep Levis protected against a strong Vikings defense in Week 11.
Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ 27-17 win over the Titans.
The Chargers beat the Titans on Sunday afternoon, improving to 6-3.
Here’s our recap of the Week 10 win.
It was over when…
The Chargers scored their third touchdown in the fourth quarter to go up by 17 points.
Notable number
Of the Chargers’ six wins, five have come by double digits.
3 stars of the game
QB Justin Herbert: Herbert only passed for 164 yards but still looked sharp in that department, finishing 14 of 18, with two going for over 30 yards and no turnovers. He also did an excellent job of using his legs when needed to pick up yards.
RB Gus Edwards: Edwards returned to the field and was efficient on the ground after missing the last five games with an injury. He had 55 yards on ten carries.
Defense: 7 sacks
Quick hits
Herbert failed to surpass 200 passing yards for the first time since Week 4. But he was still effective by navigating the pocket well, avoiding sacks, making crisp throws to his receivers, and continuing to take care of the football.
Herbert was also impressive as a runner, juking multiple Titans defenders, including former Chargers Kenneth Murray and Sebastian Joseph-Day.
The ground game came alive after taking a backseat the past few weeks, and Edwards provided the jolt as he averaged 5.5 yards per carry on ten attempts. J.K. Dobbins had 15 yards on 50 rushes.
Jesse Minter’s unit lived in the backfield and compiled seven sacks. Credit goes to Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Bud Dupree for stepping up with Khalil Mack on the sideline for nearly the entire game.
Daiyan Henley led the way with 14 tackles.
Speaking of tackles, the Chargers struggled with missed tackles, which has been a slight issue on the defensive side of the ball this season. The Titans averaged 6.3 yards per carry.
Derius Davis provided the special teams spark with a 56-yard kickoff return.
What’s next?
The Chargers host the Bengals next Sunday night, Nov. 11, at 5:20 pm PT.
After missing time with an injured shoulder, Titans quarterback Will Levis is set to start in Week 10.
Tennessee Titans starting quarterback Will Levis injured his shoulder early in the first quarter of the Titans’ Week 4 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. He sat the rest of that game and rested over the bye week, but when he returned against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, he admitted he wasn’t 100% and his performance suffered because of it.
As such, head coach Brian Callahan has been starting Mason Rudolph while Levis’ shoulder heals. Now it seems his shoulder is good to go, and Callahan says Levis will start in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
.@Titans QB Will Levis to start on Sunday vs @Chargers, per HC Brian Callahan
Asked about how Levis has been through this process, Callahan said, “He’s been good, I think he learned a little bit about himself in the process, learned about how to be honest about how your body feels and when fighting through an injury or when trying to fight through something is detrimental to you and the team as opposed to helping the team by being out there.”
Callahan also admitted that he learned a lot through this process as it’s his first time dealing with it as a head coach.
More from Brian Callahan on #Titans QB Will Levis returning to play.
Could be some rust, but Callahan believes Levis has learned a lot about himself in his time away. pic.twitter.com/wMMRJPfFOd
It’s been a couple of weeks since Levis has seen the field for a game, so it’s natural to wonder if Levis will be rusty when he hits the field. “It’s certainly possible,” Callahan said. “It’s been a couple of weeks since he played so there could be that. I’m hoping that there’s not, but it’s realistic to maybe have a little bit before you get back out there.”
He once again implied that he is being patient with Levis, which probably means this Sunday the Titans will probably look like they did against the Colts, and not like they looked against the New England Patriots. Brace yourselves, Titans fans, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for the rest of the season.
The Titans’ injury report after Thursday’s practice ahead of their Week 10 matchup against the Chargers on Sunday.
The Tennessee Titans have seen their fair share of injuries this season. The offensive line is in a shambles after losing Lloyd Cushenberry for the season. With Dillon Radunz also injured, it moved Daniel Brunskill to guard and Corey Levin became the center. Safety Quandre Diggs is also gone for the season, and for the umpteenth straight practice, L’Jarius Sneed continues to nurse a quad injury.
This week, though, the Titans are seeing progress with some of the nagging injuries players have been playing through. Will Levis was a full participant on Thursday, T’Vondre Sweat is not on the injury report, and Tyjae Spears practiced in full. There were a couple of new injuries, but only two players sat out of Thursday’s practice.
#Titans‘ inj. report for Thursday:
–Levis full practice participant for first time since Wk. 7
–Spears upgraded from LP on Wed. to FP today.
–Simmons (hamstring), Chestnut (foot) and Vannett (neck) are new injuries. pic.twitter.com/XzfatnBjBQ
The Titans’ Thursday injury report can be found below:
Did not participate: CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad), RB Tony Pollard (foot)
Limited participants: WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder), S Amani Hooker (groin), DT Jeffery Simmons (hamstring), G Dillon Radunz (foot), RB Julius Chestnut (foot), TE Nick Vannett (neck)
Full participant: WR Calvin Ridley (shoulder), QB Will Levis (shoulder), S Mike Edwards (NIR-Rest), RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring), CB Tre Avery (hamstring)
Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz says they are ramping up Will Levis in the hopes that he feels well enough to play on Sunday.
The Tennessee Titans quarterback situation has been a major struggle in 2024. Will Levis, the starting quarterback, is in just his second year in the league. He took over for Ryan Tannehill last season, but he hasn’t adapted well under the new coaching staff. Whether that’s a coaching thing or a player thing doesn’t really matter, it’s a problem.
On top of that, Levis injured his shoulder in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. That’s when Mason Rudolph took over and led the Titans to their first victory of the season. Then it was the bye week, then Levis returned only to tank against the Indianapolis Colts. It was revealed after the game that maybe he wasn’t 100%, and Brian Callahan decided to start Rudolph the last two weeks while Levis healed.
Today, Nick Holz addressed the media ahead of practice and discussed Levis’ potential return against the Los Angeles Chargers this week.
Nick Holz with an expansive discussion about #Titans QB Will Levis.
60-40 reps for Levis so far in practice. Tennessee looking to keep building offensive momentum. pic.twitter.com/VGgtMCDhul
Asked about ramping up Levis, Holz replied, “Yep, ramped up yesterday, we were kind of in a slowed-down mode yesterday, but he ramped up yesterday and the plan is to ramp him up again today, and then kind of make our decision really tonight after practice of where he’s going to go.”
Holz went on to say that Levis’ reps will probably be 60/40 as they ramp him up, and they’ll see how he feels at full speed today.
Yes, it’s about how he feels, but that leaves the question: How do you reintegrate Levis back into the starting lineup with the progress that has been made?
“You know, I don’t think it’s all on Will, why the passing game has improved, or all on the quarterback position. I think our pass protection has been a lot better, the receivers’ drops are down, all our assignments, I feel like we’ve done all of those things well. So we kind of expect him to jump in with that progress where we’ve made the last couple weeks. You know I think there’s probably a bonus for him, kind of watching and learning, kind of taking a step back too and watching Mason play.”
It’s a definite bonus for Levis to watch Rudolph run the offense, but it’s probably premature to assume that Levis can step in without any backtracking. He is not Rudolph. There will be hiccups. If he gets in, we’ll see how much those hiccups impact the game.
The Tennessee Titans square off in a Sunday battle against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. Here are three reasons for concern.
The Tennessee Titans head west on Sunday to face the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Riding the momentum of their overtime win over the New England Patriots last week, the Titans look to continue their winning ways on the road.
But the 5-3 Chargers have their own agenda on Sunday, and they aren’t going down without a fight. The Chargers’ defense is tougher than the Patriots’ defense, and their offense is led by a more experienced quarterback in Justin Herbert than the Titans’ faced in Drake Maye.
This week’s matchup is different in a lot of ways, and while any team can win on any day, there are three causes for concern for the Titans heading into Week 10.
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Continued quarterback controversy
Even though Mason Rudolph was the quarterback in both of the Titans’ victories, head coach Brian Callahan still says that Will Levis will play if he’s healthy. Levis has been sidelined with a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. He returned after the bye week and failed to defeat the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s been on the injury report ever since.
The biggest problem with this scenario this week is that Lloyd Cushenberry, the Titans’ reliable center, is done for the season with an Achilles injury. So on top of not being sure who will be throwing the ball on Sunday, the Titans don’t know who will play center either. If Dillon Radunz is healthy, Daniel Brunskill gets the nod. If not, we see Corey Levin again, which did not go well last week.
The Titans’ offense has some critical questions to answer before kickoff on Sunday, and preparing for a game in these circumstances is less than ideal.
Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Injuries continue to pile up
As mentioned above, Lloyd Cushenberry left last week’s game with an Achilles injury and his season is over. But he’s not the only one who’s dealing with an injury. The Titans have a slew of players on both sides of the ball with some kind of injury. Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley have been playing through injury, and so have Amani Hooker and T’Vondre Sweat. Three of the four offensive players on injured reserve are offensive linemen, and there are five additional players with a questionable status.
On defense, there are six players on injured reserve and two more with a questionable designation.
The Titans can barely field a team at this point, and while they managed to eke out a win last week, it’s not likely to be the same story this week
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
The Chargers are not the Patriots
The Chargers are a much more established team than the Patriots. The Titans managed to overcome the Patriots in overtime, but the Chargers’ defense is much stronger. The Titans’ offensive line is in shambles, and they don’t know who the quarterback will be. The Chargers will exploit that and do everything they can to get to the quarterback. And, depending on who the quarterback is, they might find success.
L’Jarius Sneed sitting out with injury for a couple of weeks has paved the way for Amani Hooker and Mike Brown to make some plays, but the Titans would really like to get Sneed back on the field. The defensive front, save for T’Vondre Sweat, is relatively healthy, and the Titans will rely heavily on their strongest piece. But they can’t do it all, either.
The Chargers are one of those teams that is hard to gauge this season because of who they’ve played. Still, it won’t be an easy task for the Titans to walk away with a win on the road. We’ll see if they’re up to the task on Sunday.
The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field Wednesday and released their first injury report for the week.
The Tennessee Titans are banged up as they prepare to take the field Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 action. Prior to hitting the field to start preparations for this one, the Titans made a couple of injury-related roster moves.Â
The team officially placed center Lloyd Cushenberry (Achilles) and safety Quandre Diggs (foot) on injured reserve, likely ending their seasons. To fill one of the roster spots, the Titans signed veteran safety Mike Edwards, who was in Tennessee Wednesday for a physical.Â
Once they hit the field, eyes were on the players who sat out the Week 9 victory due to injury to see if there was any chance of a return to action. Unfortunately, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed continued to be sidelined with his quad injury. He was joined on the sideline by defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Quarterback Will Levis, guard Dillon Radunz, and running back Tony Pollard led the group of eight players that were limited, which included newly acquired safety Mike Edwards.Â
Cornerback Tre Avery returned as a full participant with his hamstring injury.Â
The Titans’ Wednesday injury report can be found below:
Did not participate: CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad), Jeffery Simmons (NIR/rest)
Limited Participant: RB Tony Pollard (foot), WR Tyler Boyd (shoulder), WR Calvin Ridley (NIR/rest), S Armani Hooker (groin), G Dillon Radunz (foot), QB Will Levis (shoulder), RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring), S Mike Edwards (NIR/rest)
The Chargers return home to face a Titans team that lacks a lot of top-tier talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
Coming off consecutive victories, the Chargers return to home to face the 2-6 Titans in Week 10. The AFC South has struggled, primarily due to below-average play from the quarterback position.
Tennessee is coming off its second win of the season, albeit against a poor Patriots team. Here are some Titans players that the Chargers will still need to keep their eye on this Sunday to avoid a possible upset.
RB Tony Pollard
Tennessee was expected to have a split backfield this season, but Pollard has completely taken over the job. He’s looked like the 2022 version of himself as he seems to be fully healthy after a gruesome leg injury nearly 24 months ago. Pollard ranks 10th in the NFL in rushing with 622 yards, and he’s added on 135 receiving yards and three total touchdowns as well. The veteran is com
WR Calvin Ridley
Now that DeAndre Hopkins is gone, Ridley is the Titans’ only legitimate threat through the air. In fact, he’s the only Titan with more than 200 receiving yards. In eight games, the 2018 first-rounder has 27 catches for 399 yards and a touchdown. If the Chargers’ cornerback crew is able to slow down Ridley, they should have no problems limiting this Titans offense.
DL Jeffery Simmons
For years now, Simmons has been one of the game’s premier defensive linemen. Despite the team’s lack of success this season, he has still been excellent in every aspect. Simmons is the primary guy that the Chargers offensive line will have to account on every play this weekend. He’s been elite in stopping the run and has added in 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble as well.
S Amani Hooker
Hooker has quietly become one of the league’s most underrated safeties. He’s become a real playmaker for this defense throughout the season. Hooker has three interceptions, seven pass deflections, and two forced fumbles across eight starts. He may be asked to do even more moving forward, as the Titans lost fellow safety Quandre Diggs for the season last weekend.
CB L’Jarius Sneed
Chargers fans are familiar with this name, as Sneed spent four seasons with the Chiefs. He was traded to the Titans this past offseason and eventually signed to a four-year, $76.4 million extension. So far, the deal has looked like a bust. Pro Football Focus has rated him as one of the worst corners in the NFL this season. He’s played just five games due to injuries, but even when he’s been active, the veteran has been ineffective. With how hot the Chargers offense has been lately, look for Justin Herbert to attack Sneed’s side early and often, no matter who he’s guarding.
Here are some important things to know about the Titans ahead of the Week 10 matchup with the Chargers.
The Chargers are at home to face the Titans on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1:05 p.m. PT.
To get you prepped for the Week 10 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.
How things are going…
The Titans are 2-6 on the season. Tennessee snapped a three-game losing streak after beating the Patriots last Sunday.
Porous passing game
The Chargers shouldn’t have to worry about the Titans presenting a problem through the air. Tennessee currently ranks 31st in passing offense, averaging 170.8 yards per game. Mason Rudolph has served as the Titans’ starting quarterback in the last three games, while Will Levis has been sidelined with a shoulder injury. Rudolph had his most productive outing last weekend, throwing for over 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tennessee is hopeful that Levis can play this weekend. In five games, Levis has completed 66.4% of his passes for 699 yards and five TDs to seven interceptions.
Ground game is working
While the Titans’ passing attack hasn’t been efficient, their offense has benefited from the running game. Tennessee is 12th in that department, averaging 125.6 YPG. Tony Pollard, who was acquired this past offseason, has been a key playmaker in the team’s offense. Pollard has rushed for 622 yards and three scores, with an average of 4.4 yards per carry.
Stiff defense
You can’t attribute the Titans losing as many games as they have to their defense. Tennessee ranks No. 1 in total defense and passing defense. They’re also third in yards per play allowed and 11th against the run. However, they’re allowing a handful of points, as opponents are averaging 26.6 PPG (26th). This speaks to their struggles in the red zone, as the Titans are 26th in this category.
Look out for…
Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. The Chargers’ interior offensive line has struggled this season, and Simmons can give them fits. Simmons generated a season-high seven pressures and a sack on 37 pass rushes in Week 9 against the Patriots, including three pressures in under 2.5 seconds.
