Which Tennessee Titans players will decide Sunday’ AFC South showdown with the Indianapolis Colts?
The Tennessee Titans are refreshed from their bye and face a critical Week 6 divisional matchup versus the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It’s Tennessee’s first AFC South showdown of the 2024 campaign and the debut one of Brian Callahan’s coaching career. The Titans would catapult into second place in the division behind the leading Houston Texans with a victory. A defeat could potentially drop them to fourth.
The outcome could determine Tennessee’s focus for the remainder of the campaign. A victory would place the Titans back in AFC South contention. A defeat could make them seller’s at November’s NFL trade deadline.
We’ve identified three player-v-player matchups that will decide Sunday’s contest.
L’Jarius Sneed vs. Alec Pierce
The Titans have been using L’Jarius Sneed to shadow opposing No. 1 wide receivers. Will that continue against a Colts offense without Michael Pittman Jr. due to injury? If so, it’s Alec Pierce the Titans should ask Sneed to shadow. The alternative is rookie wideout Adonai Mitchell.
Sneed’s coverage grade of 46.1 on Pro Football Focus is extremely confusing. He’s only allowed five receptions on 12 targets for 65 yards and zero touchdowns all season long. Pierce possesses the size advantage on most cornerbacks he encounters, and he’s a big-time threat in the red zone. Sneed will be his usual aggressive self when squaring off with the Colts’ best available boundary receiver.
Dayo Odeyingbo vs. Nicholas Petit-Frere
The Titans allowed a season-low one sack in their Week 4 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Nursing a multi-score lead and running the football on 40 occasions certainly helped, but so did improvement from struggling right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere. NPF was credited with allowing just two pressures, significantly fewer than the nine he forfeited the week before against the Green Bay Packers.
Colts pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo is tied for the team-lead in pressures with 12 (Tyquan Lewis also has 12). He’s also posted a Colts-high 2.0 sacks and two tackles for loss. Odeyingbo has been the Colts’ most-snapped defensive end in consecutive contests, according to The Football Guys, and NPF should square off with him frequently in pass protection.
Will Levis vs. Colts Secondary
Indications are that Titans starting quarterback Will Levis will play through a minor shoulder injury. Head coach Brian Callahan has remained committed to Levis despite him leading the league in turnovers with nine. Sunday’s meeting with the Colts will be pivotal for Tennessee’s sophomore signal caller.
The Colts’ passing defense is putrid, a 29th-ranked unit allowing 262.2 air yards per outing. Struggling Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence lit up the Colts for 371 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 37 points last weekend. Levis must play a high-quality game or else Callahan could second-guess his decision to stand by his young QB.