As has been the case all season long, the Tennessee Titans have no shortage of question marks ahead of their Week 16 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.
The biggest question mark comes at the quarterback position, where rookie Will Levis is dealing with a high-ankle sprain that could possibly sideline him for the rest of the season, depending on the severity.
Another thing we’ll be keeping an eye on is if the Titans give some of their more underutilized players an opportunity now that the team has once again missed the playoffs.
We’ll take about those two topics and more as we take a look at the six biggest questions for the Titans going into Week 16.
Who plays QB?
UPDATE: This question has now been answered. Head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Wednesday that Tannehill will get the start if Levis can’t play (READ MORE HERE).
With quarterback Will Levis dealing with a high-ankle sprain, not only is he unlikely to play this week, it’s possible he misses the rest of the season.
While it stinks we may not see Levis again this year, it’s hard not to look at the bright side of that scenario, as it means he won’t have to risk further injury behind this pathetic offensive line.
If Levis can’t suit up, Tennessee will have a choice of starting either Malik Willis or Ryan Tannehill.
Tannehill gives the Titans a better chance to win, which is the exact opposite of what this team needs right now when you consider draft positioning.
The veteran signal-caller, who is preparing to go to free agency in 2024, would also be wise not to play behind an offensive line that has already gotten him hurt this year.
Willis, on the other hand, will likely be here as the backup next year and is in desperate need of a boost to his stock, which is currently in the toilet. Granted, he’s stepping into a bad situation, but the Liberty product should jump at the chance for playing time regardless.
Will Peter Skoronski bounce back?
The hate for Peter Skoronski recently has been ridiculous. Yes, he’s struggled in recent weeks, but he’s also routinely been the team’s best offensive lineman over the course of the season.
For some reason, people excuse the growing pains Levis has had, yet they are ready to jump all over Skoronski and call him a bust at the first sign of trouble.
Skoronski had a month long stretch where he gave up zero sacks and 2 pressures.
He’s struggled against some of the tougher matchups no doubt but he’s been great in some lesser matchups.
He’s a rookie and the hate he’s getting is overblown and doesn’t come from honesty.
— TicTacTitans (@TicTacTitans) December 19, 2023
The fact of the matter is, rookie offensive linemen go through issues just like first-year players at other positions. Skoronski’s entire body of work this season warrants the benefit of the doubt.
Not to mention, look who he’s playing next to. Nobody can sit here and say that isn’t making life more difficult for the Northwestern product.
Hi, my name is Will Levis. Yes, it is hard to play quarterback like this, but I try to make it work.
So, Brunskill gets driven back into his lap asap. Peter helps Brew then tries to help Duncan, but too late.
Crazy Levis made anything out of this really. pic.twitter.com/6LwiN3C23H
— TicTacTitans (@TicTacTitans) December 19, 2023
It’s going to take a hell of a lot more bad play from Skoronski for me to jump ship and I’m a firm believer he is going to be a very good player for the long haul.
Still, it would be nice to see him finish the season strong, and that will begin in Week 16.
Will Tim Kelly be better?
I get it, it’s not easy to run an offense that lacks talent as much as the Titans’, but it is possible for an offensive coordinator to make things worse with his play-calling.
That’s exactly what Kelly did in Week 15, when he insisted on running the football up the middle and on early downs over and over and over again, despite the fact that he quite literally had zero success doing so (Derrick Henry averaged 0.6 yards per carry).
I have no issue trying to establish the run, but eventually a team has to abandon that if its running back is being totally stuffed on every run for the entire game.
Kelly has been given the benefit of the doubt plenty this year, even with several lean weeks from the offense.
But there’s no defending what happened last week and Kelly needs to prove he’s actually capable of making in-game adjustments or else calls for his firing will only grow louder.
Will Jeffery Simmons play?
Big Jeff is two weeks into what was considered a multi-week injury, so his return should be coming soon. However, it’s also logical to not want to see him out there for a few reasons.
For starters, there’s no point in risking further injury that could impact him next season when the playoffs are already out of reach. Also, his absence makes Tennessee worse, which will help in securing a better pick.
Of course, Simmons is a fierce competitor and doesn’t give a damn about either of those things, so he’ll no doubt be pushing to play when ready. I expect we’ll see him again this season.
Will underutilized players get more chances?
The Titans should be evaluating as many players as they can over these next three weeks in order to get a better idea of what they’re working with going into 2024.
Headlining that list is running back Tyjae Spears, who has certainly been involved plenty this season but has yet to be given the chance to be Tennessee’s lead back for a full game.
With Derrick Henry possibly on his way out the door and Spears being the future, the Tulane product should get a chance to show what he can do as Tennessee’s No. 1, assuming the Titans aren’t going to be sitting key players, which they won’t.
On offense, I’d like to see more of tight end Josh Whyle and wide receivers Kyle Philips and Colton Dowell. I’d also opt for Willis over Tannehill if Levis can’t go to give the young signal-caller a chance to improve his stock.
Not to mention, Tannehill gives the Titans a better chance to win, which is bad for Tennessee’s chances of landing the highest pick possible.
On defense, let edge rushers Caleb Murphy and Trevis Gipson be active and play, and give TK McLendon and Otis Reese more snaps on defense.
Maybe nothing comes out of any of these players getting more chances, but the Titans at least have to try.
Will Titans continue to fight?
The best-case scenario for the Titans at this point is to lose all of their remaining games, but it would be nice for the team to show some fight in the process, as it would be a great sign that head coach Mike Vrabel hasn’t lost his team.
We’ve seen signs of that over the last three weeks, no doubt, but that was when the Titans were still in playoff contention. Let’s see how things go when this team is playing out the string.
