After winning a 12th straight home opener last Sunday, the Green Bay Packers (1-1) are headed back on the road to play the winless Tennessee Titans (0-2) on Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The Titans blew a lead in Chicago in the opener and then failed to hold off Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets last week in Tennessee.
The Packers might get quarterback Jordan Love back from injury, while the Titans will be desperate to avoid back-to-back losses at home and an 0-3 start overall.
Here’s a closer look at the Titans entering Week 3:
Last week (Loss, 24-17 to Jets)
The Titans led 7-0 after one quarter and 10-7 at half time but mostly fell apart in the second half. Breece Hall scored a 26-yard touchdown to give the Jets the lead, and rookie Braelon Allen put the Jets up for good with just over four minutes left. The Titans had more first downs and total yards, but two turnovers from Will Levis, including a terrible fumble on a pitch inside the red-zone, helped doom the Titans. Levis was sacked four times, and Tennessee also had a punt blocked. Levis did throw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley. A late drive attempting to tie the game came up short on fourth down at the 14-yard line.
Quarterback play
The Titans are 3-8 in Will Levis’ first 11 starts. His career passer rating is 81.0. His career QBR is 33.2. His career completion percentage is 59.4. Levis is a young, inexperienced quarterback learning on the job behind a shaky offensive line — generally a recipe for erratic play and general inconsistency. He’s also in his second offense in as many years in the NFL. Levis has a big arm and is the creative type, but his improvision often gets him in trouble. He’s also been sacked on 10 percent of his career dropbacks. At 6-4 and almost 230 pounds, Levis is well built and athletic enough to buy time and create off schedule. Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft comp for Levis was Jay Cutler, and that doesn’t look far off through nine starts as a rookie and two in Year 2.
Line of scrimmage
After facing the big and experienced offensive lines of the Eagles and Colts in the first two weeks, the Packers get a reprieve in facing the Titans, who have allowed seven sacks of Will Levis and come into Week 3 with the worst pass-blocking efficiency in the NFL, per PFF. Tennessee is averaging 5.0 yards per carry in the run game, and former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard has 196 total yards through two games. The Titans have invested a lot of draft capital into the offensive line but haven’t seen results early. Defensively, the Titans haven’t been super disruptive against the pass but are allowing just 4.0 yards per carry in the run game. Harold Landry has three sacks, Jeffrey Simmons is a monster in the middle and rookie T’Vondre Sweat — the 362-pounder from Texas — is getting plenty of snaps on the interior.
Turnovers
The Titans are an NFL-worst -4 in turnover margin through two games. Quarterback Will Levis has turned the ball over five times, and the Titans defense has just one takeaway — a fumble recovery in Week 1. A starter in Year 2, Levis has been hilariously reckless with the football. He threw a terrible pick-six in Chicago and then had a lost fumble in the red zone against the Jets. Given the Titans’ issues protecting the quarterback, the Packers should have confidence in their ability to force Levis into a couple of bad decisions on Sunday.
Injury situation
The Titans are mostly healthy entering Week 3. Defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed got a rest day Wednesday, and running back Tyjae Spears is dealing with an ankle injury.
Stat to know
The Titans defense is giving up just 3.8 yards per play, which ranks first in the NFL through two weeks. After facing No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, the Titans rank second in passing yards allowed per attempt at 4.6.
Players to know
WR DeAndre Hopkins: Is Father Time catching up? Through two weeks, Hopkins has turned 27 routes run into just three targets, two catches and 17 yards. Tough start to 2024 for the 32-year-old, but Hopkins — who had a 1,000-yard season last year — can’t be overlooked.
DL Jeffrey Simmons: The veteran interior defender doesn’t have a pressure yet in 2024, but he’s still a menacing player against the run (team-high five stops). Simmons will be a handful for the interior offensive line.
RB Tony Pollard: The former Cowboy has turned 41 touches into 196 total yards. He has plays of 20-plus yards as a runner (long: 26) and receiver (long: 22).
WR Calvin Ridley: The Titans’ big free-agent addition caught seven passes for 127 yards and a touchdown and rushed once for a 10-yard score during the first two weeks. Ridley had over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns for Jacksonville last season.
LB Kenneth Murray: The former Chargers first-round pick leads the Titans in tackles (14), but he’s also allowed a pair of touchdown passes in coverage.
