Taking a look at the upcoming game between two evenly matched teams

This week the Bucs (-1) play host to Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans (+1) in a game where the Bucs will look to avoid their fifth straight loss while the Titans are looking to rebound from a tough loss last week.

The Bucs are in a must win situation here this week and it will be interesting to see what type of energy they play with following a crushing defeat.

This should be a competitive game and to preview it, we sat down with Jimmy Morris of Music City Miracles to break down this matchup even more.

1. All eyes will be on rookie QB Will Levis this week. He has impressed even in a small sample size. What have you seen out of Levis so far and how do you think he will fare in this matchup and the rest of the season?

Levis has been a breath of fresh air for the offense. He has so much arm talent. He can make any throw and doesn’t have to be set to rip the ball down the field. That is really important behind this Titans’ offensive line – which is really bad. Levis also moves well in the pocket, so he can create some throwing lanes for himself even when a lineman gets beat.

As for the rest of the season, it’s all about getting information on him to determine whether or not the Titans need to draft a QB in 2024 or focus on building around him. There are still some deficiencies in his game that we would like to see improve as well. There have been some times when he had a guy underneath that was open that he didn’t throw to because he wanted to take the shot down the field. Hopefully, some of that will come as he continues to get experience in the NFL.

2. The Titans are in an interesting spot where they are retooling without going full rebuild. They traded away Kevin Byard but kept veterans like Derrick Henry and De’Andre Hopkins. What are your thoughts on the Titans plan moving forward?

The rest of this season should be about learning what they have in some of the young guys. The roster is going to go through some major changes this offseason with Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry being in the last year of their respective contracts. Ran Carthon is going to have more than $100 million in cap space to shape the roster however he sees fit. We are excited to see what that looks like.

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

3. What would you say is the Titans biggest strength and biggest weakness heading into this game?

The biggest strength should be the defensive front. They haven’t played that way all the time this season but Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Arden Key, and Harold Landry should be what this team can lean on when a lot of other things are a mess.

The biggest weakness has been the offensive line. They tried to rebuild it this offseason and added a couple of good players in Peter Skoronski and Chris Hubbard, but guys have been hurt and/or underachieved. Levis has helped with some of the issues because he moves well in the pocket, but this team cannot do anything unless that unit gets better.

4. What is the biggest matchup that you are looking for this week between these two teams? Who has the edge in those critical matchups?

I want to see if Will Levis can put up big numbers against the Bucs’ passing defense after what C.J. Stroud did last week. My fear is that the offensive line won’t give Levis the time he needs to push the ball down the field.

On the other side of the ball, I want to see this defensive front play the way it was built to play. While the offensive line isn’t good, the defensive line should be. They have just underachieved over the last month or so. The Titans should have an edge there.

5. According to DraftKings, the Bucs are currently a narrow 1 point home favorite against Tennessee. How do you see this game playing out?

I never know how games will play out with this Titans team. They have been wildly inconsistent. With that being said, I have faith in Levis. Give me the Titans as an outright winner – 27-21.

Thanks so much to Jimmy for doing this!