NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit.

Here’s a look at six things to keep in mind leading up to the competition:

With quarterback Will Levis still recovering from his right shoulder injury, coach Brian Callahan announced earlier in the week that the team would prepare Mason Rudolph for his second straight start on Sunday against the Lions. Rudolph was 25 of 40 for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Bills last week, but he also mishandled a snap that resulted in a turnover. On Sunday, the Titans need Rudolph to play near-flawless football because the Titans can’t afford to make things any harder for themselves.

Over the past two weeks, the Titans have said goodbye to DeAndre Hopkins (traded) and Treylon Burks (injury), and the receiving corps has become thinner as a result. So who will rise to the challenge and play regularly for this team? Calvin Ridley is supposed to be that guy, but for one reason or another it hasn’t happened nearly as often as everyone would like – Ridley only has 12 receptions on 36 targets. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who has scored touchdowns in consecutive games, and Tyler Boyd are ready to do more, but others will be in the mix, too.

Running back Tony Pollard was one of the bright spots on the team. He is a violent and physical runner who leads the team with 400 rush yards and three touchdowns in 2024, and he leads all players in yards after contact. What a sobering statistic: Pollard is last in the NFL in yards before contact. It is a shield that must be blocked in front of him and improved. If the Titans want to give themselves a great chance on Sunday, they need to be able to pass the ball successfully.

Nicholas Petit-Frere was initially at right tackle, but then out. Leroy Watson IV took his place in the starting lineup, albeit only for a week. Then Jaelyn Duncan got his chance, but suffered a hamstring injury last week. So who will be the starter at right tackle this week? Callahan said the plan is for Watson to start, while John Ojukwu will also be in the mix. Earlier this week, the Titans added Isaiah Prince to the practice squad. Callahan admitted this week that the Titans had a problem at right tackle. The team must fix the problem.

A week after facing the outstanding Bills, the Titans defense faces its biggest challenge yet against the red-hot Lions, led by quarterback Jared Goff. Goff has a passer rating above 140 in his last three games, becoming just the fourth QB in the Super Bowl era to achieve this feat. Goff leads all QBs with a 125.7 rating and has a perfect passer rating under pressure in his last three games. The Lions lead the NFL with an average of 30.3 ppg and have more offensive TDs (18) than incompletions (16) in their last four games. So how can the Titans, who didn’t force a punt in the second half last week, slow down the Lions? That’s a big question considering the Lions have talent all over the place.

The Titans are now 1-5 and are 11 point underdogs against the Lions. Let’s be honest: Things are looking bleaker every week here, so the Titans desperately need to find a way to win this game. Here’s how the odds change based on Sunday’s result: Since 1990, teams seeded 2-5 made the playoffs 6.5% (11/168) of the time and won the playoffs 3.0% (5/168) of the time Division and won a Super Bowl 0.0% (0/168) of the time. The playoff percentage for teams that started 1-6: 0.0% (0/187) made the playoffs, 0.0% (0/187) won the division, and 0.0% (0/187) made it it’s to win the division, win the Super Bowl. This category will soon disappear from Six Things to Watch if nothing changes.