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

Here are six things to watch in the run-up to the match:

Titans quarterback Will Levis has practiced all week after suffering a right shoulder injury in Week 4 against the Dolphins, and he will start Sunday. The Titans are counting on him to settle down and settle down. Levis leads all players with nine giveaways in 2024 (6 INTs, 3 fumbles). He is tied with quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and Anthony Richardson (Colts) for most INTs this season. Levis threw for 224 yards with a 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 up?

The Titans enter Week 6 ranked first in the NFL in total defense, allowing 243.8 yards per game. The unit was especially good in pass defense and once again ranked first in the league in allowing just 124.0 yards per game. Through four games, the Titans have forced a punt on 50 percent of opponents, which is the most in the NFL. The Titans are ranked 15th^e in the NFL in points allowed (22.5), only 7^e in points allowed per trip (1.6). What the Titans need to do better is force turnovers – they are 29^e in the NFL in that category. The Colts said Friday that Richardson will be considered questionable and that will be an in-game decision.

Levis has been sacked 15 times in the first four games of the season, and he didn’t even make it to halftime in Week 4. In last year’s game against the Colts, he was sacked six times. And while the Titans allowed just one sack against the Dolphins, the reality is that the team completed just three passes in the second half, so drop backs were few and far between. This week, the Titans added Leroy Watson IV into the mix at right tackle, competing with Nicholas Petit-Frere. Across the board, the Titans need to be better up front and give their quarterback time to operate.

One of the best developments in the game against Miami was the team’s ability to run the football. The Titans had 142 rushing yards on the season 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 20-plus carries, according to NextGenStats. Titans running back Tyjae Spears scored his first touchdown of the season in Miami, and he had 88 scrimmage yards (75 rushing, 13 receiving yards) in the last meeting against Indianapolis. The Colts are allowing 157.0 yards per game, which ranks 31st^st in the N.F.L.

I hate to remind everyone of this: Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse suffered a knee injury against the Colts in last year’s December meeting 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 tipped in last week’s game. The Titans need to do a better job 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 like to see him kick more extra points.

The Titans are 1-3 and now favored by 2 ½ points over the Colts after the line shifted during the week. It’s a crucial 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 won the division (26/283) and won a Super. Bowl 0.4% (1/283) of the time. The playoff percentage 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) went on to win the Super Bowl. A good sign: the Titans have won eight straight games after the bye week.